Always in my Heart
by JustplainLilly
Summary: Starts before the movie and centers around Danny and Rafe's sister, Alice. Ah I can hear the groans already, but give it a chance.
1. You'll Be There

Well you guys are just going to love me…yes this another little sister story. Yes, Yes I know there a lot of them out there, but I had an idea and I needed to run with it lol: )

ANYWAY this is my second fanfic. I'm still working on Into the Sunset, which is located in the Titanic section, so doing both of these at once will be a challenge, but I'm looking forward to it : ) (that is if ya'll like it.)

All of my chapter's titles are going to be songs from the era the story is set in…just to give it more of an old time feel. Just thought I would let ya'll know : )

A/N: I have issues with proof reading…lol…it's a warning. I do my best but I miss things on occasion.

Chapter One: You'll Be There

October 11, 1923

It had been one of those stormy days that you only read about in ghost stories. Lightning cracked violently across the sky every few minutes or so followed by the loud rumble of thunder. Danny Walker was only 6, but he was brave, and ignored the sounds coming from outside his bedroom window. His model airplane was enough to keep his mind of off just about anything and with his small hand he dove it off and on the runway he had constructed out of blocks and half a deck of playing cards.

"Vroom vrooooom."

Danny wished Rafe, who was 7 and his best friend in the whole world who only lived a half mile away, was here to play with him. Rafe always had a way of making airplanes more exciting and Danny wasn't really sure how. Rafe's daddy was a crop duster and so of course Rafe knew all about that sort of thing, but Danny knew a lot as well.

He was smart, his Momma told him that everyday and she truly meant. After all, most parents who say that say it because it is their child and there is no love quite like a mother's for her child, but Belle Walker knew her boy was something special; he was quick and grasped things with ease.

Danny hadn't seen his Momma in awhile though. She was going to have a baby and shortly after dinner two nights ago she went to lay down in her and Daddy's bedroom. An hour later Daddy had come to him and told him Momma was having the baby and then went to call Dr. Hopper and Aunt Angie.

Aunt Angie was in charge of Danny and wouldn't let him set foot downstairs, which was where Momma and Daddy's room was. She brought all of his meals up to him and even some new toys, but all Danny had wanted was his plane and Rafe.

The door opened and Aunt Angie appeared. She carried Danny's after dinner snack, crackers and milk, on a tray and set it down on his desk.

"Has the baby come yet?" Danny asked in his angelic voice, not looking up from his airplane.

Aunt Angie smiled and shook her head. "Not yet, darlin, but real soon."

Danny stopped playing and looked at his Aunt. "Tomorrow, if it still hasn't come, could I go play with Rafe, and his Momma could watch us for awhile."

"If you're a good boy, then yes. Now hurry up and eat your snack, then change into you jamies and I'll come tuck you in." she said and ruffled his hair, then kissed the top of his head.

Aunt Angie was nice, Danny thought. She was Momma's younger sister, but looked just like her. Blond hair and big brown eyes. Danny had his Momma's eyes and he always felt warm whenever anyone told him that, it was like a part of her was always with him.

Danny munched on his crackers for a bit and drank all of his milk before cleaning up his airplane mess and pulling his pajama's out of the bureau and putting them on just like he was told. Aunt Angie, true to her word came back and tucked him in. She listened as Danny said his prayers and then kissed him goodnight, turned off the lamp and left him to sleep.

Danny fell asleep not long after she left. He dreamt of airplanes flying over the ocean, with a big pink sunset in the background. He did barrel rolls and Rafe was there with him, they flew together higher than the birds, higher than the clouds, almost touching heaven…

* * *

It was Vivian McCawley's least favorite time of the day; bedtime. You couldn't really blame her after all, with 5 children under her wing she had a right to dread the moment when they all turned against her when the clock struck 8 every night.

Lorraine, who was only 6 months old, had gone to sleep fairly early that evening, around seven right, after she had been fed. Kay and Shawn being 11 and 9 respectively went down without too much of a fight; it was Rafe and Alice who were the challenge. Every night it was something, and tonight was no exception; Rafe had purposely hidden his younger sister's cherished doll, Lulu. It took a half hour to find it, and Alice had cried the whole time, it was the worst thing that could happen to a 3 year old.

It was Jake, her husband, who had finally found it. Stuffed in one of his work boots, Alice's brown eyes lit up when he carried it into the room and being the daddy's girl she was, she crawled into Jake's arms and allowed him to tuck her into bed.

Vivian meanwhile, dragged Rafe into his and Shawn's room and put him in his bed.

"Rafe Charles McCawley that was a very naughty thing to do." she scolded.

Rafe's face fell and realized what he had done was wrong, for the time being anyway. He was told no dessert for a week and kissed goodnight. Vivian clicked off the light and met up with Jake in the hallway who handed her baby Lorraine.

"Allie woke her up."

Vivian sighed and took her youngest child into her arms. "Tell me again why we have five children."

"Because you're an excellent mother." he replied and kissed her on the cheek. He then kissed his daughter on the top of the head and said good night.

Vivian sighed heavily, she loved her family, and Lord knows she did, but sometimes she just wished for some time to herself. She looked at Lorraine, whose cherub like face grinned at her with sleepy eyes. She couldn't help but smile and was suddenly reminded how much she loved every one of her children.

She carried Lorraine downstairs and went to the kitchen to warm up a bottle when there was a knock on the door. Shifting Lorraine from one hip to the other she walked back into the living room and then to the front hall where she looked out the window to see Angelica Walton standing there.

"Angie?" she asked as she opened the door, inviting her in.

Angie walked in, and it was then that Vivian noticed her face was stained with tears and her swollen eyes were spilling more out onto her face.

"Angie what is it?"

"Belle, its Belle…" she sobbed. Vivian used her free arm to guide her into the sitting room and sat her down on the sofa. She set Lorraine down on the floor, allowing her to crawl over to her toys in the corner.

"Tell me about Belle." her voice was low and comforting, helping Angie to calm down and finally tell her.

"She had the baby, a little girl…but it wasn't breathing…" she swallowed back more tears and Vivian patted her back. "…then there was so much blood and it just didn't stop and they lost her…" Having gotten it all out Angie began to sob freely again and Vivian pulled her into an embrace.

Oh Belle, she thought, you wanted that baby more than anything, now you're both gone.

Belle and Vivian had been close for as long as their boys were. Rafe and Danny were inseparable, and Vivian usually found that it was either her or Belle that was cleaning cuts and scrapes and making boo boos all better. They had exchanged stories and shared experiences over many glasses of lemonade and found yet another thing in common when both of them discovered they were going to have babies earlier this year.

Lorraine had been born in April and Belle had been there to watch the other children. She had always been such a wonderful friend and Vivian let her emotions get the best of her. She comforted Angie, while she herself was letting her tears flow.

"Where is Danny?" she asked sometime later.

Angie pulled away and wiped her eyes. "He's still asleep, I couldn't wake him."

"It's best that you didn't. He doesn't need to be around all of this…perhaps we should bring him over here. There's an extra bed in Alice and Lorraine's room, I can put Shawn in there so Rafe and Danny can be together."

"You would do that?"

"Of course, Danny is like my own and he's never happier than when he and Rafe are together."

Angie gave her a small smile and sniffed back more tears. "I'll get him I…I just…" she began to cry again and Vivian pulled her back into her arms and comforted the young woman.

For over an hour they sat there; crying, comforting, sobbing…

Vivian's heart went out to Cole, Belle's husband, who not only had lost his wife and daughter, but was now left to raise his young son. She vowed to be there for Danny though, after all with five children, who would notice one more.

* * *

Danny had been woken from his slumber by Aunt Angie and his Daddy, who carried Danny's downstairs wrapped in a blanket, while Aunt Angie stayed in his room packing a suitcase.

"Daddy…what's wrong?" he asked, noticing the grief in his father's face.

Cole Walker sat his son down on the couch and put his arm around him. "Your Momma has left us, son."

Danny still didn't quite understand, he was only 6 after all, and looked at his father for more information. Cole hesitated before he spoke, trying to find just the right words to say to him. It's what Belle would have wanted, he thought.

"Momma and your baby sister have gone to heaven to be the angels."

Danny's eyes, though tired, opened wide when he heard this. "Am I going too?"

Danny watched as he daddy struggled to explain to him that no, he wasn't, when Aunt Angie came downstairs and the three of them moved outside to the truck where Danny found himself being placed in Aunt Angie's lap and driven down the road to Rafe's house.

When they arrived Rafe's daddy and momma came out to greet them. Rafe's momma took Danny into her arms and carried him upstairs and into Alice's room, where she laid him down on the extra single bed.

"You can sleep here for tonight, darling. Then tomorrow you and Rafe can share a room."

She then began to tuck him in when Danny asked her if she knew about his Momma and baby sister going to live with the angels.

She nodded her head and pushed away the tears that were coming to her eyes. She whispered a tiny prayer for him and kissed him softly on the forehead and told him to sleep.

"Dream about your Momma." she said and shut the door, leaving the room illuminated by only a dim night light in the corner.

Danny turned over in the bed. The only sound he could hear was the steady breathing of both Alice and Lorraine, who were lost in their own dreams. The rain still pattered lightly outside, but other than that there was nothing. He turned over again pressing his face into the pillows that smelled like Rafe's momma; soap and lilac perfume.

He missed his Momma.

He turned over again and looked out the window. He knew that if Momma was with the angels then he wouldn't see her again for a long time. That's what they said in Sunday school and suddenly he began to cry. He wanted her. He wanted her to hold him and kiss him…

"Danny?"

Danny sat up from his tear stained pillow and saw little Alice sitting up in her bed and looking at him. Her hair was a mass of curls and she looked at the little boy with her eyes wide. "Why are you crying?"

For being 3, she was very perceptive and already had a sensitive spot for others.

"My momma is with the angels and I can't see her no more." Danny cried.

Alice looked sad and climbed out of her bed and walked across the bare floor in her hand-me- down flannel nightgown and climbed into bed with Danny. Just like she had seen her Momma do so many times to people who were sad; she took Danny's hand into her own and laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay, my Grammy is with the angels too…I talk to her all the time and she comes to visit me when I'm sleeping."

Danny sniffed and wiped his nose roughly with his hand. "Really?"

She looked up from his shoulder. "Yep. And the angels are very pretty; they wear white nightgowns and roses in their belts. And they always smell good…like church."

Alice's words struck something in Danny and he turned to the little girl next to him and smiled.

She smiled back.

* * *

The next morning when Vivian came to wake up the children she found Alice and Danny in bed together, holding tightly to one another's hands. It was such an innocent beautiful sight; she stood in the doorway for the longest time, just looking at the two of them. In times such as this it was hard to believe in happier moments but right before her, there was one.

She thought of Danny's words the night before, about his Momma being with the angels. She smiled when she thought that maybe Danny had an angel of his own, right here on earth.

(Peaking out through one opened eye) Well what did you think? I've never really written from a narrative POV before so let me know if it sucks...please no harsh reviews...if you're gonna be mean do it in a nice way lol. I welcome nice criticism and reviews.

THANKS (muah!)


	2. The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee

Thanks so much for your reviews!

On to Chapter Two

Chapter Two: The Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee

_July 14, 1928_

It had been almost 5 years since that horrible night when Danny's mother and baby sister had left this world and Danny, now 11, still held tightly onto the memories of the woman he had loved so dearly.

He had grown into a handsome young man; tall and with soft features, his mother's brown eyes and brown silky hair and his father's tan skin that was helped along by the Tennessee sun that he had lived in everyday since summer vacation had started way back in June.

Danny's father hadn't been much of a comfort for his son in the past five years. He had let his grief get the best of him and turned to alcohol for salvation. His drinking had turned addictive and from there his anger became part of everyday life at the Walker home. Danny always tried to do as his father had asked and ignore the many times a day when he would unleash his anger on him.

Either through yelling, hitting and sometimes both, Cole Walker made Danny relive a pain that should have gone dormant years ago. The McCawley home had become Danny's sanctuary and the family, his saviors. They didn't mind in the least; Danny was like a son to Jake and Vivian and for Rafe, who was still his best friend after all of the years, he was the younger brother he never had, and Rafe vowed to always be there for him.

* * *

"Alright Danny, you ready?"

"Rafe, I really don't think is a good idea."

"You're starting to sound like my Ma, now come on just start the countdown."

Danny looked up from his spot on the ground the second story of Rafe's house where Rafe was standing on the roof his arms spread out wide, attached to large wooden sticks with fabric stretch into place and held together with glue onto more sticks that stuck out onto the fabric.

They were wings.

Rafe had convinced Danny to make them for him so he could fly for real. Rafe's father, Jake, flew crop dusters for a living and as Rafe and Danny had gotten older their love for planes and flying had only grown into an obsession. But Jake was firm about the fact that neither Rafe or Danny could fly until they were 14 without someone else in the plane with them. That was all well and good until Shawn, Rafe's older brother, turned 14 last month and was able to fly by himself. Rafe had gotten insanely jealous and Danny was right behind him. The two of them set to work devising a plan for them to fly without a plane and that was how the idea of the wings came about.

But now as Danny looked up at Rafe so far above him he was having second thoughts.

"Rafe, your Ma and Pop are gonna kill you!" Danny hollered up at him, but Rafe just smiled.

They didn't have anything to worry about and both of them knew that. Rafe's parents had left for Nashville that morning and wouldn't be back until later on that night, for now Kay, now 16, was in charge of the younger children and she was off in the house with a bunch of her girlfriends with no idea of what was going on outside.

Alice, however did. It was strange that a 7 year old girl had more maturity than her 16 year old sister, but that was Alice. She had heard the commotion from the front porch and taking little Lorraine's hand into hers she went around to the back of the house to see her brother on the roof.

She came up next to Danny, little Lorraine next to her and put her hands on her hips, "Rafe, are you stupid or somethin'? You're going to kill yourself!"

"Not if I land on you, Allie!" Rafe yelled back with a mischievous smile on his face.

Alice scowled while next to her, 5 year old Lorraine looked up at her brother with wide eyes and suddenly broke into laughter, "Hi Rafe!" she yelled up at him and Rafe looked down at his baby sister and smiled.

"Watch me fly, Lori!"

She clapped her hands together while Alice and Danny looked at one another with doubtful expressions.

"Alright, Danny start the countdown."

Danny shrugged his shoulder and turned back to Rafe, "Fine, but I'm just going to laugh at you if you hurt yourself." he took a deep breath and then began, "Ten, nine, eight……three, two…ONE!"

And Rafe jumped, and for a moment it looked as if he actually was going to fly but then instead he began to fall and he kept falling. The three children on the ground watched helplessly as Rafe plummeted down from the roof and landed right on the back hoe that had been left up against the house.

He howled, his legs twisted in a horrific position in front of him. Danny and Alice stood there, frozen in shock, while Lorraine grinned happily and clapped her hands thinking that this was all part of the game.

Rafe's screams had brought Shawn out of the barn where he was working and Kay and her two friends out of the house.

"What the…OH MY GOD, RAFE!"

Kay and Shawn both ran over to him, Shawn examining his leg while Kay tried to calm her little brother down.

"It's broken." Shawn replied over Rafe's screams.

"How do you know?" Kay asked him.

"Because the bone is sticking right out of his leg!"

Sure enough it was. It was an awful sight, neither Danny nor Alice had ever seen Rafe hurt before and it shocked them both. He was usually so resilient and brave, and to see him totally helpless and hurt scared them into frozen shock.

Kay and Shawn moved Rafe into the house, while one of Kay's friends called Dr. Moore. He arrived not even twenty minutes later and confirmed Shawn's diagnosis; Rafe's leg was indeed broken. He set his leg and replaced the bone in its original position and then wrapped up the leg and did what needed to be done.

"I can't believe it." Danny said.

"Me either." Alice answered.

The two of them were sitting on the swinging bench on the front porch, Lorraine in between them, glad that Rafe's screams had died down.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." Danny's voice quivered as the thought of what his father was going to do when he found out, crept into his mind, "Your Ma and Pa are never going to want me near Rafe again."

Alice looked over at him and shook her head, "No, that's not going to happen. They love you way too much."

"Yeah, we'll see."

* * *

As it turned out, Jake and Vivian were more upset at Rafe than at Danny. Of course Danny got a good talking to about it, but it was Rafe who took the brunt of most of their anger. They didn't punish him though, figuring that the three months that Dr. Moore told him he would be in the cast was enough of a punishment in itself. And to Danny's shock they told him they weren't going to tell his father what had happened.

For Danny, the worst thing that came out of the situation though, was that there were two whole months of summer left and Rafe was spending it all in a cast. The first week after it happened was the hardest. He came over to see Rafe everyday, they played cards, jacks and checkers, but after a few days they became bored. Rafe was starting to get grouchy and Danny, quite frankly didn't want to be anywhere near him. He took to following Jake around the farm helping him and Shawn with the chores that Rafe would have been doing all the while wishing he and Rafe were down at the river swimming or in town getting ice cream and ice cold soda pops.

One Friday afternoon the chores finished early and Jake told Danny to go off and have some fun, this was easier said than done for Danny. More than anything he wanted to go swimming. The temperature had been climbing all day long and at the moment with the sun high in the sky he knew it had to be at least 90 degrees, if not higher. Swimming was out of the question for Rafe though, suddenly he spied Alice coming out of the back door and heading out to the chicken coop.

Alice was okay, for a girl anyway. She wasn't prissy like all of the other girls that Danny knew and he appreciated that, but she wasn't a boy either.

_Her one downfall, _Danny thought to himself. "Hey, Allie!"

Alice turned around and looked at Danny as he ran towards her, "What?"

"Wanna come swimming with me?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Sure, I guess so. Let me go ask Ma though." she ran back into the house, the screen door slamming behind her and immerged not even five minutes later, two towels in her arms, wearing an old sundress and her long brown hair pulled back into a long ponytail.

"Here you go." she said handing him a towel.

"Thanks."

He took the towel and the two of them began to long walk down to Shelby river. They cut through the acre of so of wheat between both of their farms and climbed over the wooden fence and came onto Miller's Point road and walked across it to the river.

The two of them laid their towels out under the large oak tree near the bank that offered not only shade from the sun, but a cool place to lay after they were down swimming.

Danny immediately went to the rope swing that had been tied to a nearby tree before he had been there for ever and climbed onto it. Pushing himself swiftly, he swung out onto the river and let go, falling into the cool and inviting water, while Alice opted to walk into the water and the dunk herself under the surface.

The two of them swam for over an hour and had so much fun that for a good while Danny forgot all about Rafe.

Later on, after they became too tired to play anymore, they laid out on their towels and stared up into the tree branches that shielded them from the bright sun.

"Thanks for coming." Danny told her and she smiled.

"Your Welcome. Maybe we can do it again tomorrow."

Danny brightened at the thought and nodded, "Yeah, we should."

They then both fell silent and listened to the birds and rush of the river around them when the distinct sound of human voice caused them both to sit up and look at one another in question.

"Danny! Where are you boy!"

Alice saw the color drain from Danny's face and he quickly sprung up from his spot on the towel and grabbed her hand, "Come on!" he pulled her up and the two of them ran down the river and into Mr. Peterson's wheat field. The grass was taller than Alice and she struggled to keep hold of Danny's hand as he dragged her through it. Mr. Walker's voice was getting closer and angrier.

"Get the hell lout 'ere!" he screamed, his words slurring together making it almost impossible to tell what he was saying. Alice was young, but she knew Danny's father and what was causing him to act that way. He had been drinking.

"…Ungrateful brat! Stop hidin'…"

He was just feet away from them now and Danny stopped and pulled Alice down with him. He put his finger to his lips and she nodded, too scared to do anything else.

Mr. Walker's profanity echoed through her ears and for a moment she thought they had been caught. He wasn't far from them at all and his screams hurt her ears, but they soon stopped and he gave up. Muttering under his breath he walked out of the fields and back towards where it was that he had come from.

Danny relaxed, but couldn't bring himself to move from the safety of the wheat just yet. Worried, Alice reached for him and tried to offer him some comfort. He smiled gratefully at her, remembering a night not so long ago when she had done the same.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded, brushing the sweat off of his forehead, "Are you?"

She nodded, unsure if she was or not, he saw the hesitation in her face and paused a moment before leaning over and hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry." he told her.

She pulled from his arms and the two of them came eye to eye. Alice had wanted to speak, but as she sat there looking into his eyes, she suddenly lost her train of thought. Danny had been in her life since the day she was born, she had grown up with him, thinking of him as just another older brother. After all she had two already, what was one more? But as she sat there with him, and looked into eyes, she suddenly felt something different. It was a complete mystery to why she did, but she did.

Whatever it was, it was a strange new feeling that she found she kind of liked. What she didn't know was that as hard as he was trying to make it go away, Danny felt the same thing too.


	3. They Can't Take That Away From Me

**Sorry it's been so long since the last update. I was REALLY sick. Hope you guys enjoy it. I hope its not too long or boring ; )**

Chapter Three: They Can't Take That Away From Me

_November 4, 1935_

"Wrong! Music should not make the dogs howl, Ms. McCawley!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Barnett, I'm try-"

Angrily the stout older woman with a stern face that stood in front of Allie, slammed her conductors wand down on Allie's music stand, causing Allie to jump a foot into the air.

"There is no TRY! There is only perfection, now… be perfect!"

Nearly shaking, Allie lifted her violin and bow and started to play the piece of music in front of her again. This time trying her best to keep her composure and control as she let the wand slide across the strings at just the right angel and her fingers being kept and put in all of the right places.

It was a beautiful song, from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, her favorite movement, Winter. And the more enthralled she became in it, the better she became. She closed her eyes and let herself float away with the music. She envisioned herself leaving Mrs. Barnett's musty old house and going out into the crisp November air and breathing in its sweet smell, letting the aroma take her over and carry her even farther away from her hateful music teacher.

Allie had picked up the violin when she was 10 and now 5 years later she was Mrs. Barnett's best pupil, even if Mrs. Barnett herself wouldn't admit it. She was a grouchy old woman, who had been widowed during the Great War and decided from that point forward to not show affection towards anyone, especially her students.

For the past five years Allie had come to Mrs. Barnett's house everyday after school for two hours of practice, then on Saturdays she came for three. However much she hated Mrs. Barnett, Allie loved the violin and the music was her passion, much like flying was to her brother Rafe, and she didn't mind the practice, just the woman who critiqued her.

When she was done, Mrs. Barnett looked at her with a serious gaze and let it linger for a few moments. Sarah brought her violin back down to her lap and nervously pushed her long maple colored hair behind her left ear, something she always did when she was tense or uneasy about something.

Finally she spoke, "Good, very good. You have been practicing."

"Yes ma'am, I have."

"I'm glad. I will of course be submitting your name to the Young Musicians Competition in Nashville for this spring."

Allie squealed with delight and nearly jumped from her seat and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Barnett, but caught herself before she even flinched. "Thank you so much!"

"Alice, please control yourself. Now your time is up and Mr. Butler is already waiting in my kitchen for his piano lesson. Scoot yourself on home."

"Yes, ma'am."

Quickly Allie packed up her violin and bow and put on her coat and headed outside, passing Tommy Butler in the kitchen as she did so. She waved good-bye to him and burst out the back door and into downtown Shelby, Tennessee.

Allie had lived in Shelby all of her life and she loved every last part of it; Walton's General Store, Bolton's Drug, the high school, Mrs. Brown's store that carried all of the latest fashionable clothes for young girls and Odell's. Allie had to admit that was her favorite place of all, every Saturday night there were dances there for all of the teenagers in town and it was only since her 15th birthday last November that Allie was allowed to start going and she had been every weekend since.

She loved to dance, maybe even more than she liked to play the violin, and she really was quite good. There was one boy in particular who especially thought so, Dean Adams. He was a year older than Allie and to Allie he was a great dancer and a nice looking boy, but, she thought as she strolled by Odell's, he was no Danny Walker.

Allie couldn't help but smile as she thought of Danny. He was 18 now and more handsome than ever to Allie. He had grown lean, yet strong, but still had the boyish charm to him that he had had ever since he was a child. Every time he was around, which was quite often as he was Rafe's best friend, her heart raced and she suddenly became very conscious of everything; her hair, her clothes, even the way she talked and smiled. It was a discouraging, yet somehow wonderful feeling that she looked forward to each and every day.

Allie walked the mile or so from town and down that familiar dirt road to her family's farm. The sun was just beginning to set as she walked through the front door and into the warm house. She was greeted with the aroma of baked chicken and mashed potatoes and quickly took off her coat and laid her violin case down on the front hall bench and walked towards the kitchen to find her mother.

"Oh there you are darling, how was your lesson?" her mother asked as she walked into the room. She had just pulled a pan of fresh baked rolls out of the oven and set them on the counter.

"Fine, thank you." she said and reached for one of the hot rolls and quickly had her hand tapped by her mother, who shook her head,

"You can wait ten minutes. Did Mrs. Barnett decide to enter you in that competition?"

Allie leaned against the countertop and nodded, "I played Winter for her."

Her mother smiled, "I always enjoyed that one myself." she told her and poured a pot of peas into a serving bowl, "We'll tell your father at dinner, why don't you take this into Lorraine, she's setting the table."

Allie took the bowl and headed into the dining room to find her 12 year old sister setting the forks down onto the clean white table cloth. She set the bowl down in the center of the table and looked around,

"Why are there 10 seats?"

Lorraine looked up from the forks, "Kay and Spencer and the kids are coming, and Danny."

Allie scrunched up her face, Danny being at dinner was nothing new, he was always over here, but she hated it when her sister came with her children, and especially her husband.

Kay and Spencer, her husband, lived in the next town over, Hendersonville, but they always seemed to be here. Allie loved her sister, and her niece Dixie and nephew Wyatt, but it was Spencer she couldn't stand. He was unemployed and preferred to have Kay work rather than himself. He sat at home all day, collecting dust.

Allie helped Lorraine finish with the table and then left to go upstairs and change into another dress, just in case Danny noticed. As she was walking up the stairs Danny and Rafe came out of Rafe's room and met her at the landing.

"Outta the way shrimp, Ma's chicken is calling." Rafe said, playfully pushing past her.

Danny smiled at her, "Hey Allie."

As if on cue her heart began to pound and she smile shyly at Danny, "Hey."

"Come on Danny, the chicken…" Came Rafe's voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Danny looked down at Rafe and then back at Allie, "See ya."

She didn't say anything, just smiled and watched him walked down the stairs and disappear into the dining room. When he was out of her sight she ran into her room and quickly shut the door and began to pull her closet apart looking for just the right dress.

Five minutes late she emerged from her room wearing a dark blue dress with white polka dots that flared from her waist all the way down to just past her knees, and as soon as she set foot on the first floor, a scurry of two pairs of feet came running towards her.

"Aunt Allie!" Dixie screamed running into her arms. She was a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes and blonde hair that was the longest of any 4 year old Allie had ever met. She kissed her nieces chubby cheek and then knelt down so that 1 year old Wyatt could toddle his way into her embrace.

She cooed at him and he laughed and came into her free arm and nestled his head into her shoulder. Allie put Dixie down and picked Wyatt up to give him a kiss. He fit perfectly in her arms and she held him close as she walked into the dining room, Dixie leading the way, her long hair flying behind her as she skipped along.

"Shawn couldn't make it, huh?' Allie's father asked after grace had been said and the food had begun to make its way around the table.

"No, he had to work." her mother replied, passing the plate of chicken over to Danny, "He'll be here for Christmas though…Danny take some more, there's plenty to go around." she pushed two more pieces of chicken off the plate and onto the two pieces that were already there.

"Yes, son by all means, there's plenty to go around." Allie's father told him, "Al pass him the potatoes."

Allie reached for the potatoes and gave them to Danny, who smiled and thanked her.

"So, Spencer, how is the job hunt coming?" Allie's father asked after taking a long drink of his water.

"I've made the decision to take care of things at home right now, with Kay working and all." he replied in a bumptious tone that made Allie's father throw a look at her mother.

"Yes, well Kay wouldn't be working in the first place if you hadn't-" Rafe began.

"I think that's enough of that for right now, son."

Rafe, obviously aggravated by the subject, slumped down in his seat next to Allie. She looked over at him and gave him a reassuring nudge with her shoulder and he looked up and returned the gesture. The two of them laughed softly and then continued eating their dinner.

"Well it doesn't matter, I don't mind working, I just wish I had more time for the children…no Dixie, peas don't go in your nose." Kay said in defensive of herself.

"No! I want them there!" Dixie began to scream and picked up a spoonful of potatoes and flung them over onto her brother's head. Wyatt then began to cry and Kay looked beside her self. Allie's mother got up to help her, taking Wyatt into the kitchen and Kay following quickly with Dixie in her arms.

Allie looked over at Spencer and saw that he was paying very little attention to his wife or his child. A good husband would not only support his wife and family, but would be there for the small, but important moments like the one that was happening right now. She shook her head in shame at him and went back to her dinner.

After dinner was over, Allie went into the kitchen, her arms loaded with dishes and set to work helping her mother and two sisters wash them, while the men and children went into the living room to listen to the radio.

"God, Kay, what the dickens were you thinking, marrying someone like that?" Lorraine asked as soon as the door to the kitchen was shut.

Shocked, Allie's mother dropped what she was doing and threw an angry look into Lorraine's direction "Lorraine Olivia McCawley, how dare you say something so horrible! Apologize this instant!"

"I won't! Did you see him; he ignores the children and didn't even offer to help her at dinner!"

"Lorraine-"

"Oh shut it Allie, you and I both saw it! He's an A number one BUM!"

Her words struck a cord in Kay and she slumped down at the small kitchen table and buried her face into her hands.

"God Ma, I just don't know what to do." her muffled voice said.

Allie looked over at her mother, worry written on her face and her mother responded with the same look and made her way over to her oldest daughter and wrapped her arms around her.

She didn't speak, letting Kay find her words in her own time and both Allie and Lorraine sat down at the table as well and exchanged pitied glances at their sister.

She lifted her head and Allie could see the dewiness in her eyes. "He has just become so horrible. He yells at the children whenever they make just the slightest noise, he hits them until they run out of tears…" she turned to her mother, her chin quivering with tears, "Ma, I just don't know what to do." And with that said she began to cry.

Allie watched as her mother took Kay, a woman of 23 into her arms and rocked her as if she were nothing but a newborn child. She wondered silently to herself how this could have happened to Kay.

She had, of course, always looked up to her big sister, but along the way she had become something more and Allie began to see her as a guiding light into the world. With her beautiful dark blonde hair and lovely brown eyes framed by naturally curled lashes, she was the essence of what beauty was supposed to be in Allie's eyes. She was always popular and it was no surprise when she married Spencer Cunningham, captain of the baseball and football teams, right after she graduated from high school. When Dixie was born everyone marveled over how sweet and darling she was, and with Wyatt a few years later, it was the same thing.

Her life seemed near perfection, but the sight in front of Allie at that very moment confirmed, quite bluntly, that it was far from that. She wondered how it had all gone so wrong, how Kay and Spencer, who had seemed so in love with one another and had such a perfect life, could suddenly be caught in the shambles of what is once was.

As Kay began to calm, her mother pulled her away, holding her at arms length and wiped the tears from her face, "Darling, it can't be all that bad can it?"

Kay nodded, "It is though. He thinks of nothing but his welfare and how he feels. I keep trying to figure out what exactly I did to make him suddenly turn into this person."

"Don't blame yourself for the actions of a rat, Kay." Lorraine told her.

"Lorraine!"

"All I'm saying is that-"

"Lorraine, I think it's best if you went to into the living room."

Lorraine's mouth opened wide in shock, "But I-"

"Alice, would you please take your sister into another room."

"Yes, ma'am." Allie said rising from her chair. Lorraine reluctantly did the same and Allie led her out of the kitchen and back into the dining room.

"This is stupid! I'm old enough to be in there, I am 12 after all."

"I know, Lor, but this is something that only mom should be there for."

"She didn't ask you to leave!" she snapped back.

"She asked me to take her you into the living room, didn't she?"

She crossed her arms over her small chest and pouted, "Yes, well…oh never mind. I don't want to hear about that grump, Spencer anyway. I'm going to my room."

She pivoted quickly and gracefully and directed herself towards the staircase. Allie watched her leave and was about to follow, knowing that if she went into the living room she would see Spencer, and that wasn't someone she wanted to see at the moment, but there was a knock on the front door that interrupted her plan.

"I've got it!" she called to anyone else who might have heard and made her way to the door. She opened it and immediately wished she hadn't.

"Mr. Walker-"

He pushed past her and made his way into the house. Looking around the room for a moment, he suddenly turned back to her and she could see the deliriousness in his eyes.

"Belle?"

Allie, still holding onto the opened door, looked at him in confusion, "No, Mr. Walker, it's me, Alice McCawley."

"I named the baby, you told me to and I did. Madeline, after my mother. Do you like it?"

Allie didn't know what to say. She really had no idea what he was talking about, "What baby, Mr. Walker?"

"Our baby." he said with hallucinatory smile that made the hair on Allie's arms stand up on end. She was thankful that her father, Rafe and Danny chose that moment to come into the room.

"Dad?"

Danny's father turned towards his son and stared at him for a moment, almost as if he didn't know who he was. Then he finally managed to apprehend it.

"Son," he staggered towards him and patted his shoulder, "You're a good son, I never tell you that you, but you are…"

"Cole, how much have you had to drink?" Allie's father asked.

His head snapped towards Allie's father and he gave me a sour smile, "Just a bit there, Jake…that's all."

Lorraine suddenly sauntered down the stairs and into the room and Danny's father took notice. He looked her over and suddenly his eyes began to water up with tears.

"Madeline…" he said in a soft tone and suddenly fell to the floor. Shocked, Allie watched as her father, Rafe and Danny hurried to his side and attempted to revive him from his inebriated state, but it was no use.

"What's going on?" Vivian asked, coming out of the kitchen with Kay close behind her. She quickly answered her own question when saw Cole sprawled out on the floor. "Gracious, is he alright?"

"He's fine; he just needs to sleep it off. Rafe, we'll put him in your room, come on, give me a hand." Jake said lifting Cole's left side up off the floor and waited for Rafe to take the other. Together the two of them took Danny's father upstairs, while Danny stood at the landing looking overcome.

"Come on girls, into the living room. Let's give Danny some space."

Kay went on without hesitation and Lorraine protested, but was pushed gently out of the room by her mother, but Allie hung back. She stood frozen behind Danny for a moment, her eyes lingering and her mind completely empty of options on how to make him feel better.

When he turned around abruptly and looked right at her, she nearly jumped out of her shoes.

"I'm sorry, Allie."

He then walked directly past her and out the front door, going off into a world he knew all too well, where he was alone and in pain. Allie went to the window and watched him step off the porch and leave the warm glow of the porch light and disappear into the darkness. A part of her wanted to go after him, but another argued that maybe it was best to leave him by himself for right now.

She sighed heavily and headed into the living room to join the rest of her family.


	4. The Very Thought of You

Chapter Four: The Very Thought of You

_November 9, 1935_

Over the next week Danny tried with all his might to forget about his father's episode at the McCawley's, but no matter what he did, how hard he tried, he just couldn't do it. It didn't help that everyday he walked to school with Rafe and Allie. Allie was in most of his classes and after school when she went off to her music lessons, he and Rafe always walked home together.

He was grateful for Saturday when it finally arrived, when he could finally have some time to himself when he didn't have to think about any of it. Neither Rafe or Allie had talked about it, but just the fact that they were there and saw his father make a fool of himself, didn't help matters any.

The weather had started to turn cooler, the crisp in the air was gone and had been replaced by near freezing temperatures. Danny found himself staying his room that Saturday, lying on his bed and throwing his baseball up towards the ceiling and catching it expertly with his worn mitt.

Occasionally he would think of his father, who was nowhere to be found that day, and it would leave him with a sick lump in the back of his throat. He hated seeing him like that, drunk and stupid, but above all, he hated that Allie had seen it as well. His father's "problem" wasn't a secret, but it still made him ill knowing that Allie had answered the door and interacted with him for as long as she had when he was like that. He felt like he had to protect her, and wasn't quite sure why. Sure she had always been like a little sister to him, but something about told him that neither Rafe or Shawn had ever felt the way he was feeling.

It had been going on for years; every time she would smile, if they would barely brush against one another in passing...her soft skin briefly next to his

He caught the baseball as it came back down for the thousandth time and let it sit in the glove as Allie's beautiful face entered his mind. He could almost smell that sweet fragrance of flowers that always seemed to surround her, and feel her soft skin…

Danny told himself to get a grip. He didn't need any more problems in his life, and girls were problems. His two week relationship with Nancy Grant had proved that when she became frustrated when he wouldn't treat her like common street trash and escaped to the back of Joey King's Ford for reassurance. He then reminded himself that Allie was nothing like Nancy. She had never even had a boyfriend.

Danny started to throw the ball back up into the air, a bit more confidently this time around. Thinking of Allie had made him feel better, it always did. She was always going to be there for him, and Danny knew that with conviction.

* * *

Struggling against the cold, her satchel and violin case, Allie practically fell through Mrs. Barnett's door and into the warm house. She was late, by 10 minutes, and she knew she was in trouble. Mrs. Barnett didn't tolerate tardiness, the one time Allie had been late before was when there had been a terrible thunderstorm with the threat of a tornado and Mrs. Barnett still let her have it.

But, as Allie looked around the always stuffy kitchen, she noticed that Mrs. Barnett was no where to be seen. She put her things down on the table and suddenly heard her voice from the next room.

"TICKLE the ivories, DO NOT beat them!"

"Yes ma'am." came a small voice, then the broken melody of Bach's Italian Concerto came floating through the walls and into Allie's ears. She smiled, relieved that it wasn't her that was being yelled and sat down at the table to wait.

Over the next 20 minutes Allie listened to student, as well as Mrs. Barnett's lashes towards them. She was just beginning to get bored when someone else came through the door, she looked up from the table that she had been staring at and saw that it was Dean.

Tall and handsome, it was hard to miss Dean Adams. He had a way of taking up a room when he walked into it. His smile alone lit up the room and with his dirty blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, the girls never seemed to mind a moment when he was near.

"Allie, Hey."

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

He nodded towards the next room and the music floating from within it, "Pete's in there." he replied, referring to his younger brother. The door shut behind him and he strode over and grabbed a chair from the table and spun it around so he could sit in it backwards. He faced her, "What are you doing here?"

She pointed to her violin case, "I'm supposed to be having my lesson right now."

He laughed, "Yeah, that's my fault. I got him here about a half hour late today. She was peeved, but oh well, life goes on, eh?"

Allie smiled and nodded, not sure why.

"Are you gonna be at Odell's tonight?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Allie told him that she hadn't really thought about it.

"You should come you know, I've seen you move on that dance floor and trust me, you've got It."

"It?" she asked, slightly embarrassed that he had watched her dance.

"Yeah, you're a regular rug cutter."

"Is that a good thing?"

He laughed, "Course it is. So are you gonna come or not?"

"I guess I could."

"Great…hey how about we go together?"

Allie shifted in her seat, unsure of what to say. On the one hand Dean was a great guy and an even better dancer, but on the other…

She had to remind herself that as much as she liked Danny, she wasn't his girlfriend. She wasn't even close to being it. Sighing, she turned to Dean and smiled brightly, "Sure that sounds like fun."

"Solid! Alright, I'll swing by to get ya at about 7, is that okay?"

Allie nodded, just as Mrs. Barnett appeared with 9 year old Pete at her side. She shot her evil eye in Dean's direction, who immediately stood up.

"I will be informing your mother of your tardiness." she said in an informative tone.

Dean shot a sideways grin at Allie, "Oh yes ma'am, I wouldn't have it any other way. My obvious disrespect for courtesy is something that should be addressed and soon, before my adolescent development has finished…come young Peter, let us leave these ladies to their music."

Peter laughed and ran over to Dean, who put his arm around his brother's shoulders, winked at Allie and was out the door. Mrs. Barnett was, to Allie's shock, at a loss for words. When she finally did collect herself, it was if she had never left though, "Alice, let's go, we're running late."

"Yes ma'am." she got her violin and followed Mrs. Barnett into the living room to begin her lesson.


	5. Blue Moon

**Well it's been awhile since I've updated and I apologize for that, I've been preoccupied with my other story lol. **

**  
Enjoy!**

Chapter Five: Blue Moon

"Come on Danny, please play with me." Lorraine's small, squeaky voice pleaded.

Rafe smirked in Danny's direction and went back to leafing through his comic book and listening Amos 'n Andy. Danny looked down at Lorraine, let out a heavy sigh, and agreed to play checkers with her for the fifth time that night.

She clapped her hands together and smiled with happiness; she then shifted her attention to the board and began to set the pieces back up for them to play. While Danny waited, he turned back to Rafe and in his most nonchalant voice asked where Allie was.

"She's got a date tonight; Ma's been fussing and primping her ever since the dinner dishes were finished." He replied, without looking up.

Danny felt his heart drop and a stabbing pain in his stomach, "A..a..a date?"

"Yeah, with Dean Adams," he set his comic down and looked at him with a confused stare, "Why?"

"I uh…I was just wondering. I didn't think your parents would let her go out until she was 16."

"Well her birthday's in three weeks, besides Dean's father is the sheriff, how much trouble could he be?" Rafe said, going back to his comic.

Danny didn't want to think about that, he was having enough trouble thinking of Allie out with another guy, especially on her first date. And why in the world did it have to be Dean Adams? He was one of those people who was born lucky; the perfect family, the perfect car. He played both basketball and football at the high school and was considered the best player for each sport. He was even on the Academic Honor Roll at school. And up until this moment Danny hadn't minded him one bit, now he hated him.

And, just as if God himself was trying to make the situation worse, there was knock on the front door. Lorraine abandoned her checker game with Danny and sprung up to answer it, her long braided brown hair bouncing behind her. She opened the door and smiled as Dean stepped in, wearing simple khaki trousers and a white button down shirt.

"Is Allie ready?" he asked, Lorraine, who looked positively giddy upon hearing him speak to her.

"No," she giggled, "But I'll go tell her that you're here." She giggled again, took one last look at him and then raced upstairs to Allie's bedroom. Danny watched as Dean walked into the living room and laid his coat down on the chair.

"Hey Rafe, Danny. How's it going?"

Rafe put down his comic and rose to shake Dean's hand, "Good how about you?"

"Can't complain," he stuck his hand out towards Danny, "Danny?"

Reluctantly, Danny reached out and shook it, not bothering to rise from his seat or say a word to him. An uncomfortable silence followed and Dean hesitantly took a seat as close to the door as he could get. Rafe, knowing that something was obviously bothering Danny gave him raised eyebrows and tried to start a conversation up with Dean.

However, it was not long after that Allie immerged from upstairs. When she saw Dean sitting there, she smiled in his direction, but suddenly Danny felt her eyes on him and her smile almost faded. At the last moment, she caught herself and turned back to Dean.

"Wow, doll, you look gorgeous."

Danny watched Allie's face turn a light shade of pink and he had to agree with Dean, she did. The front strands of her hair were pulled back and pinned to the sides and the rest had been curled. She wore the most beautiful dress that Danny had ever seen her in; it was cream colored with a yellow and blue flower print and was finished off with a wide blue belt around her waist. She was more than gorgeous, Danny thought to himself.

"Oh don't you two just look darling." Mrs. McCawley replied, coming down the stairs, "Jake, come in and see your daughter."

Mr. McCawley, who had been in the dining room paying bills came into the living room and smiled approvingly at Allie, "You look beautiful." He told her. She smiled and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"Now Dean, there are few rules I have for any boy that takes my daughter out. One is that she be home by 10."

"That's a very reasonable time sir." Dean answered.

Danny watched as Mr. McCawley nodded and the proceeded, "Two, under no circumstances are you to take her anywhere that I am not aware of. In other words, to Odell's and only Odell's tonight."

"Yes, sir."

"And finally, treat her like a lady. No parking, or going off into dark corner alone. Is that understood."

Danny almost laughed, Dean had been known to do that with more than few girls, although he was not sure if Allie was aware of that or not.

"Of course not sir, I would never dream of it."

Mr. McCawley was now convinced and gave Dean and Allie an approving smile, "Well then you two have fun."

"We will," Allie replied and let Dean help her get her coat on. The two said good-bye to everyone and were out the door. Lorraine went to the window and watched the two of them drive away.

"I wish I was old enough to go out with boys." She said in a jealous tone.

"Oh heavens, No. I can only take one daughter at a time." Her mother said pulling her away from the window.

"Oh poo, Allie's even going out before she's 16; you didn't let Kay do that."

"Well Allie is different than Kay. She's got more sense, and besides her birthday is coming up."

Lorraine fell onto the couch beside Danny and crossed her arms in a huff. "Allie's just too lucky."

"Oh come on, Lori. You'll get your chance." Rafe told her.

"In FOUR years!" she said, making it seem as if it were a century.

Rafe smiled and put down his comic, "Well until then, would you settle for your big brother taking you out for a sundae at Bolton's?"

She perked up, "Really?"

"Yeah sure. Dad can I take the truck?"

"Be my guest." He said and tossed his son the keys.

Rafe caught them and rose from his seat, "Are you coming Danny?"

Danny pulled himself out of his own jealousy, saw the hopeful expression on Lorraine's face, and decided that he would.

"Sure."

It could be fun, he thought, besides Bolton's Drug was right across the street from Odell's.

* * *

"…so that was when I told the coach that his play wasn't the best idea. Don't get me wrong, he had a great idea, but it just didn't work for the game, you know what I mean?"

Allie nodded, even though she didn't. She was beyond nervous as she sat in the passenger seat of Dean's Buick. For the past few minutes, since they had left her house, he had chatted away about football, basketball and even the new Fred Astaire picture that she had yet to see, Top Hat.

Dean stopped at a stop sign and turned to her, "You alright over there doll?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine; you look tense, nervous even. You know you do not have to be, I know you, you know me. You know my parents, I know yours. It's a small town, Al."

She didn't answer.

"Alright then, I can take a hint. Here…" he reached into his breast pocket of his coat and pulled out what Allie recognized as a metal flask. She had seen Danny's father with them plenty of times and was more than surprised that Dean, someone her own age, was carrying one of them around. However, the worst was yet to come, as Dean thrust it towards her, "…take a nip, it will help."

"Help?"

"Yeah, you know, relax you some."

Allie had never drank anything stronger than root beer before in her life and the thought of alcohol only brought up thoughts of Mr. Walker and that got her to thinking about Danny. As much as she wanted to seem mature in Dean's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"No, I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

She smiled, feeling better that she had actually stood by her answer, "Yes, yes I am."

He smiled back, "Alright then, to Odell's we go."

When the two arrived at their destination a few minutes later they found it already crowded with people and Cole Porter music being played so loud you could hear it even before you walked through the door.

As soon as their coats were put up Dean practically dragged Allie out to the dance floor, immediately took her into his arms, and began to lead her into a fast-paced dance that had her spinning and moving in all directions. Dean twirled her around and then pulled her back to him so that her back was to him and she laughed as he held her there in his strong arms and continued to move his feet.

"So how am I doing?" he asked in a low whisper, his lips slightly touching her ear causing her to shiver.

She smiled, "Fred Astaire would be green with jealously." She told him, feeling more and more comfortable every second that she was with him.

He spun her around expertly and with so much speed, she would have fallen over if his arms hadn't been there to catch her. Nevertheless, he did, and it was so smooth it was as if he had purposely dipped her, "Thanks Ginger." He replied, hovering over her. Then she was flung back up as if she was nothing more than a rag doll to him and they danced some more.

It was well past an hour before they finally decided to take a break. Dean sat her down at a free table and went off to get them something to drink, leaving her alone to catch her breath. She honestly couldn't believe she was having this much fun. She felt like she was floating on air when she was out on the dance floor with Dean.

"Hey Allie!"

Allie turned around and saw Nancy Grant approaching her with Joey King not far behind. Allie had despised Nancy ever since she and Danny had dated for those two weeks awhile back. She wanted nothing more to throw dirt in her face every time she saw her. Unfortunately, there was no dirt to be found at that moment so she threw on her best fake smile and waved to her,

"Hi Nancy, how are you?"

"Oh, fine, are you here with Maggie and Helen?" she asked referring to two of Allie's friends that she usually came to Odell's with.

Allie shook her head, "I'm here with Dean."

"Dean?" Joey asked in a shocked voice, "Your parents actually let you OUCH," he turned to Nancy, rubbing his arm, "What'd ya do that for?"

She gave him a look that Allie didn't have a chance to translate because Dean came back to the table carrying soda pops for the two of them.

"Joe, Nancy, nice to see ya." He said sitting down next to Allie, but she noticed that the look on his face didn't make it seem that he was happy that they were there.

"So you two are here together?" Nancy asked.

Dean gave Allie a sideways glance, "Yes, it would seem that way, wouldn't it?"

"I didn't even know you two were together." Joe told him.

Dean's arm went around Allie's shoulders and he pulled her close, "Yep, we are, what's it to you?"

Allie's head snapped towards Dean. They were together. That was news to her.

Joe shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing. Hope it all works out for you two, come on Nancy, let's dance."

She giggled; "Sure," she stood up and waved good-bye to Allie and Dean as they went out onto the dance floor. As soon as they were out of sight, Allie turned to Dean.

"We're together?" she asked him.

He smiled sheepishly, his blue eyes sparkling, "I guess that's my unromantic way of asking you to go with me?"

"Go with you?"

"Yeah you know, be my girl, only my girl. Us going together…I can't honestly think of any other definitions at the moment, but if you give me time, I'm sure I can-"

"Why…why me?" Allie was confused, Dean's last girlfriend, Denise Harris, was the spitting image of Jean Harlow and she had to attitude to match it. Why would he want to go with someone like herself? She was quiet and she had no figure what so ever, "I'm nothing like…like Denise."

He laughed, "What does she have to do with this? Of course you're nothing like her, that's one of the reasons I like you so much."

"It is?"

"Yes. I think you're really swell. You're sweet, cute as a doll, you like to dance, and you like music. We've got too much in common not to be together. So come on what do you say?"

Allie pushed herself out of his embrace, not sure of what to say. She had dreamed of hearing those words, but it was always from Danny. A little voice told her that Danny didn't feel that way about her and that it was more practical to think of the moon being made of cheese than to think about Danny Walker asking her to be his girl.

"Well?" he asked; bring her out of her mess of thoughts.

"I…I guess so." She found herself saying.

* * *

"So I told Sally Jean that she was wrong Shirley Temples curls are in fact real and she needs to stop being such a ninny about the whole thing, what do you think, Danny."

"I…what?" Danny answered.

Lorraine slammed her spoon down on the table, sighed with frustration, "No one ever pays any attention to me!", and with that said, she leapt up from the table and headed towards the ladies room.

From across the table Rafe starred at Danny and shook his head, "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing." He replied, looking down at his half melted, never been touched, banana split.

"You've been off in la la land ever since we left the house."

"I have not."

"Yes, you have and you're really starting to get to me and Lori. Now what is it?"

Danny slouched down in his seat and sighed, "I guess I'm worried about Allie."

"Why, she's fine. She's right across the street having a great time."

"Dean just rubs me the wrong way and I'm…"

"You're what?" Rafe asked.

_Oh, nothing I'm just jealous of that creep and wish I was there with Allie. _Danny sighed, "I'm just worried about her."

It was Rafe's turn to sigh, "Fine, would you feel better if we went over there and you saw for yourself that she was fine."

Danny agreed, trying his hardest not to sound too eager about it. Lorraine was ecstatic about the change in plans and practically ran across the street to Odell's with Rafe and Danny moving at a fast jog behind her.

When they walked in the soft music floated over to them and Danny scanned the dance floor that was full of couples all slow dancing to 'Blue Moon' and found Allie and Dean in the center of them all. Allie's head was resting on Dean's shoulder and her arms were wrapped around his neck. Danny cringed when he saw the Dean's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist and he watched Dean bring his hands up and run his fingers through Allie's soft hair.

He turned away disgusted and walked out of the building, not able to watch anymore.


	6. A Little Bit Independent

**Thank you so much for all of reviews! I love each and every one of them : ) **

**This chapter is a lot shorter than my previous ones, but hopefully I'll post again soon!**

Chapter 6: A Little Bit Independent

Although Dean had promised to have Allie home at 10 that evening, he pulled into her driveway at precisely 9:50. He was every bit a gentleman and helped her out of the car, walked her up the porch steps and to the front door. When they got to the door Allie stopped and turned to Dean,

"Thank you for asking me to come with you tonight."

He smiled, "I'm the one that should be thanking you."

She smiled and felt her bashfulness return. She averted her eyes from him and smiled shyly as she focused on the ground. He laughed softly and tilted her chin up so that she came eye to eye with him.

"Can I kiss you?"

Kiss her? Allie felt her heart begin to race and her stomach flip over on its side. At first, she thought he was joking, but one look into his eyes told her otherwise. Allie had never been kissed before, at least not in the way that a boyfriend kisses a girlfriend.

She was so focused on the turmoil inside of her that she nearly jumped when Dean took his hand into hers, brought it up and kissed it softly. He did it with such passion and formality that she felt like princess. She found herself smiling and he smiled back,

"I can settle for this right now."

She wanted to say something, but nothing seemed to fit what she was feeling. He seemed to understand though and did not push her. He told her that he would try to come over to see her tomorrow and kissed her sweetly on the cheek before saying good-bye, walking down the steps and hopping back into his car. He waved one final time before starting it and pulling out of the driveway.

Allie stood on the porch and watched until the tail lights of his car had disappeared before she opened the front door and let herself inside. Taking off her coat and hanging it up on the rack she heard the sound of the radio coming in from the living room and stuck her head around the corner to see both of her parents curled up together on the couch; her mother's head resting on her father's shoulder and her father's arms wrapped snuggly around her mother. The image made Allie smile and she crept into the living room and as quietly as she could, covered her parents with an afghan and turned off the radio.

She went up the stairs and into her room, carefully so she would not wake Rafe or Lorraine. There was no use for that though, because Lorraine was already waiting for her big sister on her bed.

"HI!"

Startled Allie turned around quickly and ran into her dresser, knocking over her perfume bottles and framed pictures that she kept on its top. Luckily, she managed to catch everything before it hit the floor.

"Lorraine!" she yelled in an exasperated tone.

"Oops, sorry." Lorraine giggled, but it did not appear to Allie that she was. She sitting cross-legged on the bed, wearing her nightgown and bathrobe with her long hair hanging in ripples all the way down to her elbows and her face was filled with curiosity, "I just wanted to hear about your date."

Allie pulled the barrettes out of her hair and put them on the now steady dresser, "Couldn't you have waited until morning?" she asked.

"And risk you forgetting certain details, I think not! Now come on tell me EVERYTHING."

"Lori I'm tired right now." She began to unbutton her dress and searched inside of her dresser for some pajamas. When she found them, she slipped them on and then pulled her hair back with a ribbon, nearly forgetting the Lorraine was still waiting for some answers. It was only when she turned around again and saw Lorraine looking annoyed at her did she remember.

"Oh fine. We danced-"

"Oh I know that. Danny and Rafe took me over there and we saw you two slow dancing, but what else happened?"

"What a minute, why were you there with Rafe and Danny?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I guess they wanted to see if you were alright, now anyway-"

"They were checking up on me?"

"Oh I don't know about that. Rafe didn't seem too concerned about you and Dean _slow_ dancing, but I think Danny got a little upset when he saw that girl…oh what's her name Nancy something-"

"Grant." Allie finished for her.

"Yes, Grant, that's it. Well he just lost it when he saw the two of them and ran out of the building. Rafe had to go after him," then she let out an annoyed sigh, "and dragged me with him. Who knew Danny still had it for that girl?" she said twirling her hair around her finger, "But come on tell me about what else happened? Did he kiss you? Are you two going together?"

Allie was too lost in her own thoughts to pay any mind to what her little sister was saying. A part of her hoped that Danny had come to Odell's to see her, but it was Nancy that he wanted. She felt her heart began to break and tears forming in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes furiously to stop them before they could escape and looked over at Lorraine,

"I'm tired, can't we talk about this tomorrow?"

Lorraine sighed, but she agreed and got off the bed. She turned back to Allie one more time before leaving the room, "Do you promise?"

Allie smiled; despite the way she felt and reassured her sister that she would tell her everything in the morning.

"Alright. Good night."

"Good night."

Allie heard the door to Lorraine's room click shut and she got up and shut her own door. For the longest time Allie had shared a room with Lorraine. It was only when Shawn had moved to Carson two years ago that Allie was allowed to take his room, the room that had once been Kay's. It was small, but it was enough for just Allie, and it was hers. To her that was the most important thing, especially on nights like this one when she wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

She reached for her old doll Lulu and clasped her tightly against her chest. Pressing her nose against the dolls soft head of yarn she thought back to her childhood when things were simple. When her feelings did not seem to affect her so much and she had a comfortable ignorance about world. Now everything was complicated, so complicated. She should be happy that she was going with someone, but instead all she could think about was someone else. However, that someone else obviously wasn't thinking about her.

Thinking about Danny going to Odell's just to see Nancy made Allie want to throw Lulu against the wall and start breaking things. She felt as if someone had stabbed her in the stomach and she did not like it one bit. Sinking down into her bed, she covered herself with her blanket and laid her head down on her feather pillow, not being able to shake away the nauseating thoughts in her mind.

Fine, if Danny wanted to go and goggle at Nancy Grant that was just fine with her, she was going with someone and didn't need him. She had Dean and Dean told her she was beautiful and he was nice. That Allie knew and understood what she couldn't understand was why there were tears running down her face and why there was a tremendous pain inside of her that she had never known before. She turned her face into her pillow and began to sob softly.

A few moments later she heard a light rapping on the door and looked up just in time to see it open and her father poke his head through.

"Al, are you okay?"

She sat up in her bed, wiped her wet cheeks with a soft fist, and shook her head. Her father came into the room and joined her on her bed. She allowed him to take her into his arms and she pressed her face into his shoulder. He allowed her to cry for a few moments before pulling away and asking her what was wrong.

"Did something happen on your date?" he asked with a suspecting tone in his voice.

She shook her head, "No, nothing like that."

"Then what? You can tell your old man, can't you?"

Allie looked at her father and into those kind, understanding eyes that had looked back at her all of her life. She had always been able to share all of her problems with him; they had always understood one another. Allie knew that whatever was bothering her he would be able to help, but as she opened her mouth to tell him about Danny and the way she was feeling, she suddenly shut it again.

"Al?" he asked, his eyebrows rising in confusion.

She shook her head, her heart breaking as she realized that this was the first time in her whole life where she could not tell her father what was bothering her.

"It's nothing, just…woman trouble." She lied, knowing he would not question that.

Her father shifted uncomfortably and his face broke into an equally uncomfortable grin, "Are you sure that's all?"

She nodded, "I just need to rest."

"Do you need me to get your mother?"

She shook her head, "No, Daddy I'll be fine."

He nodded, and the leaned over and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, "Good night."

"Good night." She replied as he got up.

He turned back and smiled at her one last time before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. As soon as she felt safe, Allie sighed heavily and fell back onto her pillow, not believing that she had just lied to her own father and with that added on to the way she was already feeling, she now felt even worse.

She clenched her eyes shut and grasped Lulu tightly into her arms trying to make her sleep come quickly so she could leave the world of misery that she had created around her. She mouthed silent prayers hoping that God would take pity on her and push her into a slumber, and soon enough, whether by the grace of God, or her own body's exhaustion, Allie finally fell into a sleep, and although restless it brought her a bit of the comfort that she desired.


	7. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

**Danny's Girl, Liquid Diamond, and of course Tipper, Thank you SO much for you reviews. I love them so much and hope you guys continue reading (and like it lol). I'm pretty proud of this chapter (think its the best so far for this story) and hope you guys like it. **

Chapter Seven

The next morning, after the breakfast dishes were done, Allie retreated up to her room and pulled her violin out. She set her music stand up near the window, placed the violin in the comfortable position on her neck, and began to play. It was the only thing she could to make her mind focus and finally settle down from the bothersome thoughts about Danny, Nancy and Dean.

She played 'Fur Elise' to perfection and its melody floated sweetly throughout the house; next door to Lorraine's room where she sat with pencil and paper at her desk, sketching. Downstairs to the living room where Rafe sat with a text book desperately trying to make himself study for an English test that was coming up, and into the kitchen where her mother was starting Sunday supper and her father sat comfortably at the kitchen table with the Sunday paper. None of them minded, in fact it was a comfortable sound to them. When Allie had that violin, they seemed to become part of one another and no one ever dared to interrupt her while she was playing. It was an unspoken rule that was always respected in the McCawley household.

When she ended, Allie turned the pages back over in her music and was going to start again when a knock on the front door sounded throughout the house. A few moments later she heard Rafe yell her name from the bottom of the stairs. Sighing, she set her violin down on her bed and took a quick look in the mirror before she headed down the stairs.

Dean was standing in the doorway and smiled when he saw her, "Hey."

She smiled, "Hi, what are you doing here?"

"I said I'd come by didn't I?"

He had said that, and she smiled at him, "Yeah you did."

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?"

Allie looked over and saw that Rafe was watching her from the living room. He winked at her and picked up the book he had been reading and pretended to be engrossed in it. She turned back to Dean and nodded,

"Let me go tell my parents, okay."

He nodded and she went into the kitchen and told her parents where she was going, then came back and grabbed her coat off the hook by the door.

"Bye Rafe."

"Bye." He replied.

Dean opened the door for Allie and followed her out, shutting it securely behind him. It was cold out that day, but the sun was out and it made it bearable.

"I heard you playing when I pulled up." He told her as they stepped down off the porch.

"You did?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.

He smiled, "Yeah, you're really good. You could probably join one of those symphonies or orchestras in a city or something."

Allie shook her head, she knew she wouldn't be able to take having all of those strange people watch her play, she was still getting used to the idea of the competition that Mrs. Barnett had signed her up for in the spring,

"I don't know about that." She told him.

"Well if that doesn't work out I'm sure a lucrative career in dancing awaits you…along with me of course." He added with a smile and nudge.

Allie was not sure what to say and fell silent as they began to cut through the yard and head towards the harvested wheat field. Dean filled the silence by talking about movies and music, but Allie found herself focusing more on him than his words. She looked at his face as he spoke and his mannerisms as they walked. He was handsome, Allie thought, very handsome in fact and you could tell just by the way he walked that he was athletic. He was every bit of a gentleman and he treated her with respect, but Allie could not help but feel like he was missing something.

"…Allie, you okay?"

"Hm? Oh yeah I'm fine. I uh, just didn't sleep very well last night."

He frowned, "It's because of me isn't it?"

Allie stopped dead in her tracks. Was she that transparent? Where her thoughts that obvious to him? "What?"

"Because I tried to kiss you last night. I was being such a birdbrain, but I could not help it. You looked so pretty, like a movie star."

Allie laughed softly, feeling flattered and relieved at the same time. Dean took this as a good thing and stepped closer to her. He reached for her hand and she let him take it into his own comfortable grip. The new contact made her heart race and she tried her best to hide her giddiness and look at him with a serious expression just as he was towards her.

"You've never been kissed before, huh?"

Quietly she shook her head and, as she always did when she was nervous, her hand rose to push her hair behind her ear, but to her surprise Dean's hand cut in front of her and he did it himself. As he brought his hand away he let, his fingers lightly graze her jaw line. To her surprise, Allie found herself enjoying the feeling and her eyes closed as she let it continue. She could feel her heart begin to pound as Dean's face came closer to hers and waiting impatiently for what she knew was coming when she felt him pull away. Obviously confused, Allie opened her eyes and saw that Dean had noticed something she had not. Danny.

"Hey, Danny."

Danny was frozen in his place over by the oak tree and was looking at Allie as if he had just caught her at the scene of a murder and she was the one holding the weapon. He finally pulled his eyes off Allie and managed to answer Dean,

"Hey." he replied in a forced tone that made Allie feel guilty as sin. He shot a glare in their direction before stomping past them and towards the house, the grass crunching beneath his feet.

"Damn, I feel like I just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar." Dean said as Danny walked away.

Allie shrugged uncomfortably, she wasn't sure what had just happened, but it didn't leave her with a good feeling, "Dean can you excuse me for a minute?"

"Um sure."

"I'll be right back okay."

He nodded and Allie gave him a quick smile of reassurance and ran after Danny.

"Hey!" she called to him.

Danny turned around, his eyes blazing with fury, but Allie had her own fury to fight him with.

"What is your problem?" she demanded.

"My problem? What are you doing with him, Al? He's no good for you and you know that!"

His words shocked Allie, but she was too angry to think about it, "Why are you acting like this? You're not my brother you don't have to look out for me! I'm 15 years old-"

"That's right, you're 15! And he's…well he's too old for you."

Allie looked back at Dean who was a good deal away from the two of them and the back at Danny her eyes shooting daggers at him, "Daniel Walker you are-"

"A what? Come on, I know you want to say it!"

Allie crossed her arms tightly over her chest and pursed her lips together, fuming with anger, she wanted to yell and scream at him, but her mind was so jumbled she didn't even no where to begin,

"YOU'RE JEALOUS!" she finally screamed. She was sure Dean had heard, heck she wouldn't doubt it if everyone in the house had heard it as well. "You're jealous that someone is interested in me and that I'm returning the feeling, unlike Nancy has with you.

"Dean likes me and I like him and no one else seems to have a problem with it except for you. Just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Danny was stunned. What the hell was she talking about?

"Nancy?"

"Yes, Nancy! Lorraine told me that you were drooling over her last night, what did you do, drag both Rafe and Lorraine over there just so you could see what she was up to?"

Danny's eyebrows burrowed in confusion, but Allie ignored him, "I could slap myself for being so stupid!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I didn't go there to see Nancy."

Allie was so angry though, the sound of his voice was all she could hear, not the words, and she glared angrily at him, "You may be Rafe's best friend, but that doesn't make you lord and master over me nor does it give you the right to lie to me. Just do me a favor, and from now on whenever you see me, pretend that you don't, I know I'll be doing the same with you!"

Her words were final and Danny stared at her, defeated, but not quite understanding what had happened. He watched her pivot around quickly and walk briskly back to Dean, who put his arm around her once she had reached him. Danny turned away, disgusted by the scene and began to walk towards the house.

* * *

In the days that followed, Danny found himself doing exactly what Allie had asked, even if it was reluctantly. It was hard for him of course, since his best friend was her brother, but somehow, he managed. The only time it became impossible was in school. He and Allie shared many of the same classes and even sat by one another in English.

That was where they were right now, Mr. McCormick's History class. Allie still sat next to Danny, though it was not by choice and Danny knew that. When school had started in September, she had come into that room and chosen the desk next to Danny without a second glance at any other. Mr. McCormick announced shortly after class had begun that first day that the seats they were in would be their seats for the rest of the year. Danny had found himself pleased with the arrangement then, but now from the way Allie was shooting him glares every few minutes he would have given anything to have her sitting somewhere else.

"All right everyone settle down, we've got a lot that we need to get done today and not very much time to do it in." Mr. McCormick hollered out to the 15 students in the room.

"Here are your test papers back from Friday. I'm very pleased with all of your scores, but yet again Ms. McCawley and Mr. Walker surpassed you all." He came up between Allie and Danny and laid their tests down on their respective desks. Danny saw from the corner of his eye that Allie had gotten a perfect score just like he had.

"No fair, they sit by one another!" Charlie Vance shouted.

"Mr. Vance, you know I do not tolerate such outbursts in this class. I believe you know the way to the principals office." He said pointing to the door.

There were snickers among the students, even Allie, as Charlie rose from his desk and headed towards the door. When he had gone Mr. McCormick turned back to the class and continued to hand out the rest of the tests. When he was done he returned to his desk and cleared his throat,

"All right, the last time we met we began to discuss the United States' entry into Europe's Great War. Someone tell me the reason our government decided to do this….yes, Mr. Jones."

"The Zimmerman telegraph." Nick answered.

Mr. McCormick nodded, "Very good, Mr. Jones. Were there anymore reasons?" he asked.

Danny raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Walker."

"The bombing and sinking of the Lusitania." He told him and Mr. McCormick nodded.

"And probably the best reason." He turned to the blackboard and wrote out Lusitania in white chalk then turned back to his class,

"It was the biggest maritime disaster since the Titanic, only this time it was no accident. In truth, there are many different reasons why we went to the war, but many firmly believe, including myself, that this…" he said pointing to 'Lusitania' written on the blackboard, "Was the one that did it for President Wilson.

"When innocent lives are taken because of a war that has nothing to do with them, it will cause an outcry. The Americans were not ones to be bullied; we regrouped quickly, and began shipping our men off to the European trenches."

Danny's head fell as he thought of his father being one of those men. Leaving America young and innocent, and coming home beaten down by the harshness of war and seeing nothing in their own futures but depression and eventually death.

"Granted the Great War is still quite a sensitive subject, especially among your parents. I know for a fact that many of your fathers fought in the war and still carry the effects of it around with them daily. It pains me to think that their struggle is starting to be considered somewhat futile."

"Sir, why do you say that?" Violet Cameron asked.

"That's a very good question, does anyone have an answer?"

Danny looked over when he saw Allie raise her hand. Mr. McCormick called on her and she answered,

"Under the terms of the German armistice, the German army was allowed to stay in tact, because both the British and the French did not think they would be a threat again, but in the past few years with the election of the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler becoming the German chancellor and later Fuhrer, and just recently with the signing of the of the Nuremberg Race Laws, it seems that the German's are-"

She suddenly stopped when she realized that every pair of eyes in the room was on her.

"Ms. McCawley, please continue." Mr. McCormick urged.

Danny knew that Allie hated to be the center of attention, but the way she was speaking, she sounded like some diplomat or politician who had studied and researched all of her facts, preparing for a speech to congress.

He watched her push her hair behind her ear and continue, trying not to look at anyone as she did so,

"It seems the German's are regaining the kind of power and influence they had in the early years of the war." She finished.

Mr. McCormick looked at her with pride, but everyone else in the class, except for Danny, went into an uproar.

"Is she serious?"

"Sounds like she's saying there will be another war."

"Could there be?"

"All right now, everyone calm down!" Mr. McCormick ordered, "Yes, Ms. McCawley, brings up a very valid point, but it's nothing to cause an upset over. Nothing is set in stone, but you all have to realize that the kind of America you are growing up in is far different from the one your grandparents did. The world is changing; technology and other modernizations have overtaken everything, and you have to realize that every generation can and will make its mistakes, and sometimes…not all the time…future generations end up being the ones to clean up the previous ones mess."

"Do you think there will be another war, sir?"

"That's not for me to say, Mr. DeWitt, but I will say that it is very possible."

Danny looked over at Allie who looked like she wanted to run and hide under a rock for the rest of her life. He felt for her, but her words haunted him. Social studies and current events were not something that he kept up with. Sure, they all saw the newsreels when they went to the cinema, but those speakers and pictures always made the German's small and faraway. Allie had made them come closer…too close for comfort.


	8. And Then Some

**All of my reviewers: I just love each and everyone of you! **

**Janell: Thank you so much for reading this story, I hope you continue to like it ;)**

**Fiona : We've all ready talked about this lol, but thanks again!**

**Danny's Girl, Liquid Diamond, Tipper: You guys all ready know how much you mean to me : ) **

Chapter Eight

Later that night, after school, after her music lessons and after dinner, Allie sat alone in the living room, curled up on the couch listening to Tommy Dorsey on the radio and holding an open copy of a Nancy Drew mystery in her lap. Except for Lorraine, who was upstairs with Missy Vance, she was alone. Her parents had gone into town to visit friends and Rafe had gone out, having left with Danny only an hour before.

Danny…

Ever since that afternoon over a week ago, Allie had done just what she had promised and avoided Danny, and it was one of the hardest things that she had ever done. She saw him everywhere, including at school. Today in Mr. McCormick's class, she felt his eyes on her nearly the whole time. She was angry with him, but at the same time, she longed to talk with him and be able to be on friendly terms again.

Allie's chin rested on her hand, supported by her elbow as she thought about Danny, wishing that things were different, that maybe he would be jealous of Dean for being with her, instead of what he was really jealous of. The sound of a door opening upstairs interrupted her thoughts and was quickly followed by a round of giggles and quick footsteps.

Lorraine and Missy emerged from the staircase a few moments later and looked in on Allie in the living room,

"We're getting something to eat." Lorraine told her.

"Stay out of the cookies!" Allie ordered, saying exactly what her mother had said before she had left that evening, but her voice fell on deaf ears as the girls disappeared into the kitchen. They came back a few moments later, biting into granny smiths. Lorraine threw one to Allie, who barely caught it before it would have hit the ground. That is when someone decided to knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Lorraine yelled making a beeline for the door and reaching it before Allie could even rise from her seat.

"Oh, hi!" she said in dreamy voice.

Allie was up from her seat now and came towards the door to see Dean standing there. Both Lorraine and Missy were looking at Dean as if he was mythical God, with silly grins plastered to their faces.

Dean looked over at Allie, wanting to say something to her, but couldn't seem to ignore the fact that he was being gazed at as if he were a zoo animal.

"Lori!" Allie hissed, "Don't you think you should go back upstairs?"

"And miss this? Have you gone off your rocker?" she moved closer to Dean and smiled, "You know Dean, my sister has quite a thing for you."

"LORRAINE!"

"What, it's true. I saw you making those kissy faces in the mirror, puckering your lips and-"

"Dean would you like to go for a walk?" Allie asked, desperate to get out the house and away from her little sister's big mouth.

He nodded, looking relieved at her suggestion and opened the door back up so that the two of them could walk out onto the porch.

The cold air hit Allie as soon as she placed one foot on the porch and Dean was quick to take off his letterman sweater and put it around her shoulders. She thanked him and immediately apologized for what Lorraine had said,

"I'm so sorry about that."

Dean laughed, "It's all right. She's a cute kid."

"I don't think cute is the word I would use to describe her." Allie said, still embarrassed, "What are you doing here?" she then asked.

"I was worried about you." He replied, his crystal eyes dancing in the moonlight.

Allie could feel herself falling under their hypnotic spell as she answered, "Worried?"

He moved closer to her, smiling, "Yeah, worried, you haven't been yourself lately, Doll."

He was standing directly in front of her now, close enough to where she could breathe in the smell of the shaving cream he had used that morning. It was such a nice smell and it drew Allie's gaze up into his eyes and saw that his were all ready there waiting for her,

"You want to clue me in?" he asked in a low voice.

Her eyes immediately went back down and she shook her head.

He sighed, rolling his eyes, "I know there's something going on. Every since you and Danny had that fight you've-"he paused and Allie could feel herself flinch at the thought of him discovering her secret,

"Did he do something to you?" he demanded, his voice harsh.

Allie quickly looked up, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. The last thing she needed was Dean thinking the worst,

"No, it's nothing like that."

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips, "Good, because you're my girl, not his."

Allie frowned up at him, "Why would you say that? Danny is only my friend…well, he was…I mean he is…never mind."

Dean lifted a lock of Allie's long hair and brought the soft strand to his lips, "Well, whatever he is, you make sure that it stays that way."

The sudden closeness caused Allie's heartbeats to come faster and closer together and she nearly keeled over when he moved in closer to her and lifted her face up to his. A small smile spread across his lips and Allie could feel her own lips mimic in response as he lowered his head and kissed the very tip of her nose. Then he slowly made his way to her mouth, where he pressed his lips firmly against hers.

Her head began to swim as she realized that this was really happening. It was no dream; it was real, oh so very real, though she had imagined something quite different, it still was wonderful. She felt herself becoming more and more lost in the kiss that now actually started to feel like a dream. Dean expertly tilted her head up as he cupped her face into his hand adding more intensity into the kiss, throwing Allie completely off the ledge that she had been teetering on since their lips had first touched. She was so lost, so lost in his lips, the wonder, and the intensity, that she failed to notice Rafe and Danny pulling up into the driveway. Neither did she notice when Rafe got out of the truck and came around the front with his mouth agape at her and Dean,

"What in the hell is going on here?" Rafe nearly shouted.

Allie and Dean jumped apart, separating quickly as if they had been burned. Guilt suddenly finding her she stepped back on the porch as Rafe came bounding up it, with Danny close behind him. It was too dark to see either one of their faces, but Allie was willing to bet she wasn't missing any pleasant expressions.

She was embarrassed and looked to Dean for help, but he merely stepped back, hands in pockets as if this was old hat to him. She looked back at Rafe,

"Rafe, what are you doing home so early?"

Rafe's face came into view now and was contorted in anger, "I'm the one asking the questions here! Do Mom and Dad know that you're out here?" he demanded.

Allie knew Rafe was screaming at her, she knew that Dean was standing on the outskirts of the conversation, but all she saw was Danny's face. He looked like he had been knocked senseless by Kid Berg and how no idea who she was. It hurt her more than Rafe's harsh words or Dean's semi abandonment ever could.

As if he could read her thoughts, Dean suddenly came up next to Allie and took her hand into his own, pulling Allie out of the eye lock that she had with Danny,

"Rafe, I'm sorry about this. I should have been more respectful and as much as you are doubting it right now, I do care about your sister and have no intention of hurting-"

"I think you should leave now, Dean." Rafe interrupted, his glare not leaving his sister.

Dean looked over to Allie and then back at Rafe, "All right, I'll go." Allie could feel him near her to kiss her on the cheek, but Rafe stopped him by clearing his throat loudly. Dean noticed and pulled away quickly, but not before whispering to her,

"I'll see you tomorrow."

Allie nodded and gave Dean a small smile as he stepped off the porch and headed to his car. Rafe had the decency to wait until he had pulled out of the driveway before he returned to his attack on his sister.

"What were you thinking doin' a thing like that?"

"That's none of your business!" Allie fired back, her anger and embarrassment taking over, "He's my boyfriend and I can do whatever I like when I with him, besides…I thought you liked him?"

"Me liking him has nothing to do with it! What if Mom or Dad had seen you? They'd skin you alive for behaving like that!"

"I've seen you do worse!" she screamed. Rafe was very well liked among the girls at school and had been caught several times by several of the girl's fathers out on their porches after the sun had gone down.

"That's different!" he roared back.

Allie didn't see any difference though, what he was doing to her was grossly unfair and hypocritical. He had embarrassed her and ruined what was supposed to be one of the most important moments in her young life. She couldn't bear to look at him anymore and turned around starting for the front door, but Rafe was too quick for her, grabbed her roughly by the arm, and pulled her back.

"Let me go!"

"No, not until you've realized what you did!"

Allie hated that he was so much stronger than she was, and she struggled to break free of his grasp, but in the end it was Danny, who had been standing idly by watching the siblings fight, who stepped up and pried Rafe's fingers off Allie's arm,

"Rafe let her go in. Yelling isn't going to solve anything." He said in a subdued voice that caused both Allie and Rafe to turn to him with confounded expressions.

Rafe turned to Danny, a look slight betrayal mixed in with confusion on his face,

"She's only 15, Danny." Rafe pointed out the obvious. "She's not ready for this."

The words enraged Alllie even more and she turned back to Rafe and replied through gritted teeth,

"You don't know what I'm ready for. You're my brother not my father."

Rafe opened his mouth to speak, but Danny quickly cut him off,

"Rafe, don't waste your breath. She's heard this all before, haven't you, Allie?" Danny replied, his eyes fixed on Allie reminding her of the fight they had had over the same matter only a week ago.

She glared back at him, lifting her head stiffly, "Both of you can just leave me alone. I'm not a little girl and I don't need you telling me how to live my life. Just stay out of it!" and with that said, she whirled on her heel and stalked across the porch and then to the door, nearly slamming after she had entered the house.

"Allie!" Lorraine called, running in from the living room, Missy close at her heels "What-" she stopped when she saw the look on her sister's face, "What happened?"

"Our brother is a lunkhead!" she screamed, more at the door than at Lorraine, making sure that Rafe heard her.

"Well, I knew that. But why are you so mad?" Lorraine asked impishly.

Missy giggled, but Allie fumed, "We'll see if you still feel that way when he starts to sabotage moments in your life that could have been special!" she turned around quickly, practically whipping her hair in her sisters face and ran up the stairs to her room.

Lorraine turned to Missy as her sisters footsteps faded, "Teenagers" she replied, shaking her head.

**Please R/R I need all the encouragement I can get lately LOL**


	9. Once in Awhile

**Oh, kisses to you all! I loved your reviews! And for being such good reviewers, you get...TA DA...DOUBLE UPDATES!**

Chapter Nine

With the slam of the door still ringing in his ears Danny turned away from Rafe to face the dark night and the dark feeling in his heart,

"I can't believe this!" Rafe bellowed towards the door, "This just isn't like her and you…" he suddenly turned to Danny, "You've hated that guy since day one, what's with the sudden change in attitude?"

From the look on Rafe's face, Danny could tell that he was speaking to him, but he could hear nothing except for a hollow quiet that surrounded him from every angle. He stared straight forward and gulped as the image came back to him, replaying in his mind in black and white like some news reel before a movie; Allie, Dean…kissing…Allie kissing Dean. Allie's body enveloped in Dean's arms…

"Danny!" Rafe shook Danny out of his daze, "Are you listening to me?"

Danny turned to him with a blank expression on his face, "I have to go." He said in a voice that sounded so much different from his own.

"What? No, Danny you don't have to. Allie's mad, but I'm sure she's upstairs, we can-"

"I have to go." He repeated, feeling numb now, like a blast of icy wind had come through and frozen him right down to the bone.

"Danny-"

But Danny had all ready started walking. In brisk steps, he left the glow that the light from the house had created and headed off in the direction of his house. He could feel Rafe's eyes on him and quickly turned into aclump of trees near the edge of the driveway to escape it. Then out of nowhere, his anger reaching far beyond its peak, he clenched his fist tightly and slammed it right into the flaky bark of the nearest tree. He was oblivious to the pain that shot up his arm and went back for more, wailing on the tree as if it were Dean's smug face. He found a branch on the ground, picked it up, feeling its weight and thickness in his hand, and swung it at the tree, shattering it into a thousand splinters that fell to the ground.

Danny threw down the remnants of the destroyed branch and noticed the warm trickle of blood falling from his knuckles. He looked down at his bloody hands and even in the darkness could see that they were going to leave permanent scars. Feeling the pain, he slumped down against the nearest tree and slid to the ground, burying his head in his hands.

How could she? She was kissing him back, too. He could still see the rapture on her face. He was going to be sick for sure.

It should have been him…GOD DAMN, WHY HADN'T IT BEEN HIM?

The revelation shocked him more than he could have anticipated. He wanted it to be him and he wanted her to want him like he wanted her. Was that too much to ask?

He lifted his head as he began to imagine how soft her lips could be and how sweet her kiss would have tasted. He closed his eyes again and he was there, he was the one kissing her and she was in his arms. He felt her long hair brushing the tips of his fingers and his heart beat faster, but then, with as much brutal force as the Germans had used when invading France all those years ago, the sickening picture of her and Dean raided his mind.

God, he had never wanted to smash someone's face as bad as he did Dean's at that moment. The thought of him touching Allie... God, it sent shockwaves of anger through his bloodstream and turned his stomach. He could not decide if he wanted to throw up or cry.

Looking around and taking notice of his surroundings, he decided that he could do neither. That all too rational mind of his was taking over and he realized that at this point, he was helpless. He looked down and examined his hands, deciding it had best get home and bandage them.

He removed his jacket so he could have better access to his shirt. He ripped two strips off the bottom, made a make shift bandage for both hands and then put his jacket back on, and headed home.

Danny's house was dark when he reached it, he wasn't surprised though, his father was hardly ever home and even when he was he was he never bothered to turn on any lights before he would pass out in a random spot.

Clutching his right hand, which hurt worse than his left, Danny went up the porch steps and opened his front door, entering the dark house.

"Dad?" he called.

There was no answer. Danny walked over to the lamp near the front window and switched it on, shedding light over the dark room. In a daze, he made his way into the kitchen and found something to wrap his hands in. He removed his shirt, threw it into the garbage pail near the basement door, and went back into the living room to turn the light off.

Once he was up in his room, the door shut and locked, he found a newt-shirt in and slipped it on before hefell down on into his bed and closed his eyes, waiting impatiently for sleep to come and temporarily take away the turmoil inside of him.

Finally, after what seemed to be hours, Danny could feel himself slowly start to drift off. His eyelids became heavy and slowly started to close when a loud crash from downstairs forced them back open. Groggily he sat up in the bed, reaching for the lamp on his bedside table.

"Danny!" his father's voice, slurred and broken, yelled up the stairs.

He was drunk, like he always was. Danny switched the light on and got up to make sure that his door was locked. He knew the best thing to do when his father got this way was to just avoid him.

"DANNY!"

His voice had grown louder and Danny could hear his heavy footsteps begin up the stairs. He suddenly felt like he was 10 again and had to fight the urge to crawl under his bed. He didn't need this, especially not after tonight.

He was right outside his door now, Danny could hear his breathing, erratic and raspy,

"DANNY!" he banged his fist on the door, "GET THE HELL OUT HERE!"

Danny didn't answer.

Again the sound of his father beating the door pounded throughout Danny's ears and he, a seventeen year old, began to shake like a child.

_God, let him pass out…please._

He closed his eyes and pretended he didn't hear the fist against his door, or the kicking that soon followed, but then something happened that he couldn't ignore; the door coming off the hinge.

"Shit." He managed to say before his father pushed the door down and came stalking towards him, obscenities flying out of his mouth. He reached for Danny before he even had the opportunity to move, grabbing him by the collar of his t-shirt and pulling him so close that Danny could smell the whiskey on his breath.

"WHERE IS IT, BOY?" he roared.

"Dad-"

"YOU TELL ME RIGHT NOW!"

Danny struggled to free himself, but he found himself amazingly weak against the drunk that was holding on to him. His father's bloodshot eyes bore down on him as tried his best to break free,

"Where's what?" he asked, desperate to try anything to get him to calm down.

"You know what I'm talking about." His father hissed.

Danny shook his head, "Dad, I don't-"he began, trying to his best to calm him down.

However, his father didn't wait for him to finish and swung him around violently, throwing him against the all ready fallen door. Danny felt the pain shoot through out his arm where he landed and he struggled to sit back up.

"YOU'RE SPINELESS!"

"Dad, stop!"

"STOP? I'LL STOP WHEN I'M GOOD AND READY!" he said lunging forward and grabbing Danny up by his injured arm,

"You took it." he hissed, his eyes wild, "You worthless piece of shit, you took it!"

Danny shook his head, slowly, trying his best not to shed any tears, "I didn't take anything."

"You're lying." He whispered in a bloodcurdling tone that made Danny gulp back in fear, "After all I've done for you, this is how you repay me."

"I told you I didn't do anything." Danny told him honestly.

Danny's rational words only seemed to pour more gasoline on the fire that was blazing inside of his father. Danny watched with horror as his father's eyes shot daggers at his own and flinched as he saw his father's fist ball up.

He hit him square in the jaw, causing Danny to fall to the floor, gasping for air. The tart taste of blood filled his mouth and could feel it dripping from the side of his lips. He spit it out as his father staggered towards him, his movements unsteady from his inebriation,

"C'mon on boy, get up and fight. I know you want to. You're just like your old man," he moved closer to him, "You are and you'll never be any different. We're cut from the same tree, acorns of the same cloth…" he said, mixing up his metaphors, "Get up and fight!"

"No." Danny replied, shaking his head.

His father lunged towards him, fist clenched and ready, but Danny made no attempt to move. He was frozen in his spot, but suddenly, as if the heavens had opened up and smiled down on him, Danny watched as his father slowed, his head teetering from side to side before he fell over right onto Danny's bed.

When Danny had regained his composure, he stood up and went over to father's side, to see that he was passed out cold. He sighed heavily, thanking God it had happened when it did. He then remembered the punch he had been delivered on his cheek and brought his hand up to touch it.

It was tender to the touch and Danny turned and headed out of the room downstairs to the kitchen to get some ice for it. He made a cold compress from some ice cubes and a dishtowel and held it to his bruised cheek, offering it some relief from the pain.

Sadly, this wasn't the worst his father had done to him, but he had been awhile since the last time. He had to wonder what had caused it though. Remembering his words, he guessed that his father thought he had stolen something from him, but he wasn't sure what.

Holding the compress to his cheek, Danny decided to head back upstairs to check on his dad, and maybe try and fix that door. As he walked back through the dark living room, he could hear footsteps outside on the porch. He beat who ever it was to the door and opened it,

"Rafe?" he asked, seeing his friend standing out on the porch, "What are you doing here?"

"You left your-"he stopped, his eyes growing big as Danny's face came into view, "wallet…Dan, what happened to you?"

"Rafe-"

"Did your dad do that?" he interrupted.

"He's drunk." Danny defended.

Rafe's jaw clenched tightly, "He's always drunk, Danny." He told him matter-of-factly.

"Look he's passed out upstairs and I don't-"

Rafe grabbed his arm, "C'mon."

"What?" Danny asked, pulling away.

"You're coming with me; you can crash at my house tonight."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Danny said, afraid of what Rafe's parents would say when they saw him like this.

"Danny, c'mon on. I know what you're thinking and don't worry about it. Mom and Dad aren't gonna be angry at you. Let's go."

Danny didn't feel like fighting with him. The thought of going to Rafe's; a warm house, with good company and food, sounded a hell of a lot better than staying here in this shack of a house, where he'd probably end up sleeping on the cold floor while his dad slept off his alcohol intake for the evening in his bed. He found himself agreeing and followed Rafe, compress in hand, out to the truck and hopped in.


	10. You're All I Need

Chapter Ten

Allie woke up early the next morning, having not slept very well the night before.

She had stayed in her room all night, still fuming over her brother and Danny's actions and the way they had treated her in front of Dean. It was embarrassing and frankly not something, she wanted to remember. She could only hope that Dean had the good sense not to bring it up to her when she saw him again.

Allie dressed in knee length green and blue flannel skirt and blue sweater. She brushed her hair out and left it hanging long down her back, before going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth and heading downstairs.

"Morning, Al." her father said as she entered the kitchen. He was dressed in a pair of dirty coveralls and drinking a cup of coffee, "You're up early."

"I didn't sleep very well." She said, sitting down next to him at the table.

"You didn't? Did the bubbly two-some keep you up?" he asked, referring to Lori and Missy.

Allie smiled and shook her head, "No," her smile faded, "No, that wasn't it."

He put his cup down, looking at her sincerely, "Al." he said simply.

She hesitated before she spoke again, wanting to tell him, but not wanting him to be mad at her for what she had done.

"Dean kissed me last night." She said, focusing on the hard service of the table as she spoke. She could hear her fathers breathing halt for a moment while he absorbed the news.

She looked up when she heard his throat clear and saw that his expression was far from the angry one that she had anticipated. It was soft and with the hint of sentimental smile,

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that something girls your age look forward to?"

She nodded, realizing the truth in his words, "I guess it is."

"Would you mind sharing with your old dad why you're not?"

She swallowed, pausing for a moment, "I'm not sure."

"You're not?"

She sighed heavily realizing she was caught in her lie, "It's Rafe."

"Rafe?"

"Morning."

Both Allie and her father looked up at the sound of Rafe's voice from the kitchen doorway. Allie's mouth fell open in shock when she saw Danny standing there next to her brother. There was a large bruise on his left cheek and the side of his lip was swollen.

"Good god, Danny, what happened?" Jake McCawley asked, standing up in shock.

Danny shook his head, "I'm fine-"

"You're not fine. Who did this to you?"

"Dad," Rafe interjected, "I think you know."

Allie saw her father sigh heavily,

"Right." He turned to Allie, "Al, can you excuse us?"

She nodded and got up from her seat. She passed between Danny and Rafe on the way out, squeezing sideways between the two, her back to Rafe and her front to Danny giving her a clear and close view of the damage. She paused for only a second giving Danny a sympathetic look, but left just as quickly when Danny noticed and began to turn to her.

Her quick steps carried her away from the kitchen, through the dining room and up the stairs to her room. She fell down in her desk chair, not believing what she had just seen. If she assumed correctly, it was Danny's father who had done that to him and it pained her to even think of it.

How could a father do such a thing to his own child? Never in her life had her father ever laid a finger on her or her siblings and for the life of her, Allie could not understand what could have infuriated a man so that he would want to harm his own flesh and blood.

Allie sat there for a long time, thinking about Danny and his father. She assumed that her father had finished talking to the boys after 20 minutes had passed, but she remained in her room, caught up in her thoughts.

In the end, it was Lorraine who pulled her out of them, "Allie?"

Allie looked up and to the door where Lorraine stood, "What is it, Lori?" she asked with a sigh.

"Can I borrow your red sweater?" she asked, hopefully.

Allie nodded and pointed to the dresser. Lorraine went over and opened the second drawer, pulling out the sweater. She started to leave the room, but then suddenly turned around, "How about your new skirt from Aunt Millie?"

Again, Allie nodded.

Lorraine, realizing she was on a role, pressed on, "Your red socks?"

Allie nodded and Lorraine smiled,

"How about your gold locket?"

"I said…wait, my locket?" Allie turned towards her sister, who's face was shining with a devious grin, "Lorraine, SHOO!"

Lorraine ran from the room giggling all the way into hers across the hall. The click of her door shutting was followed by footsteps coming up the stairs. Allie turned back to the door just in time to see Danny pass her door. It was almost as if he was a ghost, the way he passed by her door with a silent glance and it made Allie shiver. She heard him go into Rafe's room, which was next to hers and her head fell as she realized how mean she had been to him over the past week. He needed her now; he needed every last friend he could get.

Sucking in her pride, she rose from her chair and left her room, walking only a few feet down the hallway to Rafe's room, where she knocked on the door.

There was no answer, but she knew that Danny was in there. Hesitantly her hand went to the doorknob and taking a deep breath, she turned it.

The door opened to reveal Danny sitting on one of the two beds in Rafe's room, his head buried in arms, which were propped up on his knees.

"Danny?"

He looked up when he heard her voice, however his expression remained frozen. Allie felt like leaping across the bed that separated them and embracing him warmly. Instead, she stood at the door, her hand still on the knob, at a loss for words.

It was silent for a long time before Danny finally spoke, "Do you want something?" he asked, rather gruffly.

It snapped Allie out of her daze and she quickly answered, "I just came to see if you were all right."

"I'm fine." He replied, turning away from her.

She knew he was lying, and cautiously moved towards him, perching herself on the end of the bed, "It was your dad, wasn't it?"

He nodded, still not facing her.

Allie's head fell and they were again silent. Allie realized she had to make the first attempt if she wanted any kind of peace between the two of them. She looked up,

"I also came to apologize for what happened."

Her words grabbed his attention and he turned to her, "Which time?"

"Both." She answered, "I overreacted when I knew that you were only trying to look out for me and it was wrong."

He paused then nodded, "Apology accepted, but I owe you one too. It was wrong of me to invade your privacy like that."

She nodded, "I appreciate that."

"So we're made up then?" he asked after another moment of silence. She nodded in response,

"I guess so."

"I still don't like him though, Allie, and you're not gonna convince to me to do otherwise."

Allie shook her head, "I don't want to talk about that right now, you're the one I'm worried about."

He let his legs fall flat on the bed, "I'm fine."

She focused on the bruise on his cheek, "You don't seem fine."

Noticing that she was looking at the bruise, he brought his hand up to cover it, inadvertently revealing his bandaged hand,

"Oh god," she exclaimed, "Did he do that too?"

"No," Danny immediately dropped his hand, hiding it under his other, which was also bandaged, "That's from something else."

Allie was visibly shocked and reached out, taking his right hand into her own two and grazed her fingers across his skin, She felt so horrible that this had happened to him,

"From what?" she asked.

"Just something." Danny replied, feeling a strong tingle run throughout him as he felt her fingers on his injured hand.

"Allie…"

Allie looked up at the sound of his hoarse voice, catching his beautiful eyes staring directly at her.

She felt strange, as if he could see more than just her, but her heart and soul as well. The world around her stopped turning and it seemed that everything became as petrified as stone and she and Danny were the only ones left.

"Allie!"

Reluctantly Allie pulled her eyes off Danny and turned towards the sound of Lorraine's voice that was coming from the hall. Lorraine soon appeared in the doorway, but to her shock, Allie saw that she was not alone. Dean was with her.

The smile on his face immediately faded when he saw Allie sitting there with Danny, who Allie knew he didn't trust. The atmosphere between the three of them became suddenly uncomfortable and Allie pulled away from Danny, standing back up and focusing on Dean,

"Hi." She said in a voice that nearly cracked.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking from her to Danny and then back to her again.

Allie shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing."

"You were holding his hand." He accused.

"What's it to you if she was?" Danny fired back.

"My girlfriend, that's who!"

Danny rose from the bed, "So now you're coming to her defense?" He sauntered past Allie and over to Dean, "It does make sense, I guess, after all last night when she really needed you, you didn't give a damn, but now that you stand to lose something, you're suddenly more alert."

"You wanna start something, Walker? Looks to me like you've had your share of fighting since we last met…" he leaned closer to Danny, "Doesn't look like you faired too well either."

"Shut up." Danny told him through clench teeth. His tone frightened Lorraine who backed away from the two boys and over to her sister.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Dean asked with a sly look on his face, "I'm sorry I meant no offense, but if you wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of the guy that did this to you, I'd like to shake his hand."

"DEAN!" Allie screamed, shocked that he would say such a thing.

Danny on the other hand took a different approach. With his injured hands he grabbed Dean by the collar of his jacket and shoved him against the doorframe,

"SAY IT TO ME AGAIN, ADAMS! I DARE YOU!"

"That's enough!" Allie told them, moving to their sides quickly, "Danny let him go."

"Yeah Danny, let me go." Dean mocked. Danny responded by thrusting him hard against the wall.

"Danny, I said let him go!"

"What's going on up there?" Allie heard her father ask from the foot of the stairs.

Danny quickly released Dean, "Nothing." he called back.

"Right." Dean said, straightening his jacket, "C'mon Allie, let's get out of here."

Allie looked back at Lorraine and pressed a finger to her lips, silently telling her sister to keep this all a secret. She nodded back and Allie, knowing she could trust Lorraine turned back to Dean and nodded,

"Okay."

"Allie!" Danny said, stopping her, "Don't!"

Allie looked into his eyes and saw there was actual fear in them…for her. She suddenly thought then that maybe Danny did care more about her than she previously thought, but before she could dwell on it anymore, Dean took her hand and pulled her out of Danny's gaze and down the stairs.


	11. These Foolish Things

**A/N Here is an extremely long chapter for you guys cheers I really hope that everyone likes it…I'm pretty sure you will LOL**

**Janell, Tipper, Dawn and Liquid Diamond, thank you all so much for your reviews! You guys have no idea how much they mean to me.**

**Oh and one more thing, a VERY VERY special thanks for Tipper, who gave me much needed help and encouragement with this chapter. I love ya girl :)**

Chapter Eleven

"What is wrong with you?" Allie demanded as soon as she and Dean were out of the house.

"Hey, I'm just letting him know where you stand," Dean answered in a clipped voice.

"Which is supposed to be by me, Allie."

Allie clenched her jaw tightly, trying her best to be a lady, "Be that as it may, there was no need to talk to him that way. You have no idea what he's been through."

Dean's brows shot up in surprise at her quick response. "Oh and why do you know so much about what happens to him?"

Allie huffed and crossed her arms defensively. "He's my brother's best friend… he's like a brother to me." But as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was a lie. She didn't think of Danny as a brother, in fact it was the farthest thing from the truth.

Dean planted his hands on his hips and stared down at her. "Listen Allie, I'm not going to stand here and argue with you. That guy needed to mind his own business and if he was smart he'd stay away from you."

Allie's mouth dropped in shock, "Excuse me! Are you trying to pick and choose the people I can and can't be friends with?" she asked irritably.

"Yes, in this case I am. I don't want him near you," he answered pointing at her. "I don't want _you_ near him, brother or not. I don't like him."

"Did I hear you right?" her voice quivered in anger.

"Loud and clear," he snapped. "You're mine and don't you forget it."

Allie's mouth opened to fire back, but before she could even respond, he hauled her up to him and began kissing her hotly. Allie could feel the powerfulness of his movements as he held her tightly. He ran his hands through her hair before finally pulling back, leaving Allie breathless and wanting more, a feeling she couldn't quite understand, considering that only seconds before she had been ready to slap him, God, what was he doing to her?

"You're not going to forget it are you?" he asked in a hoarse whisper that made Allie's stomach jump.

"I… " she began as the tip of his finger began to trace the outline of her lips.

"Because if you do, bad things could happen," he replied, stopping the words that would have come out of her mouth, "Not that it would be me…I have a lot of friends, Allie." He moved to her lips again. "Lots of friends, friends who look out for me. So if you ever think of getting that close to Walker again, he'll look ten times worse than he does now," he said in an ominous tone. "You understand?"

She nodded helplessly and he smiled triumphantly and captured her lips again. Allie could feel herself falling under his spell. She was so mad at him and yet she felt so powerless, but his kiss was so intoxicating that she couldn't help herself. It was like there was wine pouring from his lips directly into her mouth. She began to feel lightheaded and warm, and soon the thought of Danny was about as far away as China to her.

When Dean pulled away a few moments later there was a faint smile on her lips and he smiled back. "Now that's what I wanted to see." He then pulled her into a snug embrace and as he softly caressed her back with his strong hands, his deep voice whispered softly in her ear, "You're mine aren't you, Doll?"

Allie found herself replying, with her eyes closed and her mind swimming with pleasant emotions, "Yes."

* * *

_November 29, 1935_

"How about the red one?"

"No, the blue brings out her eyes."

"Her eyes aren't blue, they're brown."

"Helen, that's not what I meant!"

"Girls, I think I'll just wear what I have on." Allie spoke up quickly; trying to avoid the fight that she knew was coming between her two best friends, Maggie Jackson and Helen Logan. The two of them had come home with Allie after school that day to help her dress for a party that Dean was taking her to at Nick Jones' house. They had been at it for an hour now and so far, no luck.

"Really," Allie continued, looking down at the pale blue dress with small white polka dots she was wearing, "This will be fine."

Helen, the fashion conscience one of the trio, looked alarmed at the suggestion, "No, Allie, you're going to be sixteen tomorrow and its time to start showing off your goods."

"My what?"

Maggie, the most prim and proper of the three quickly cut in front of Helen, running her hands through her strawberry-blonde hair in frustration, "Don't listen to her, she has no idea what she's talking about."

"Oh Maggie, I do too." Helen replied, pulling herself up off the bed and coming towards Allie, "You've got the teeniest waist of any girl in our class and the chest of a Greek goddess to boot. You've got the goods doll, and you should show them off…especially to Dean." She added with a wink.

"Helen Logan, I cannot believe you!" Maggie said, snatching Allie away from Helen, "Allie isn't like you and your bubble headed cheerleader friends, she's a sensible girl and she knows she doesn't need to show off her body just because Dean likes it."

"Fine, don't listen to me, but Allie is going with one of the most popular boys in town and she needs to keep up appearances. Especially since Denise is going to be at this party."

"Oh poo! Who cares, Denise is just a person like everyone else."

"Yes, but she also happens to be Dean's former girlfriend."

That did it for Allie, she looked to Helen quickly, "What do you think I should wear?" she asked to Maggie's dismay.

Helen beamed and flung her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder and moved towards Allie, putting her arm around her shoulders and leading her to the closet, inadvertently taking her past the mirror, giving Allie a glimpse at her reflection, revealing to her the dark circles under her eyes. She looked worn and tired, but on the inside, she was an even bigger mess.

It had been a rough last two weeks for Allie. She had somehow managed to do exactly what Dean had wanted her to do; she had forgotten about Danny, well maybe not completely forgotten him, but she had done her best to avoid him and tried to ignore the hurt looks that seemed to haunt his face these days. There was always a pang of hurt inside of Allie too, but the bruises on Danny had only recently begun to fade and the thought of him looking like that again is what pushed her to do as Dean wished.

With all that was happening, you would have thought she would be miserable every moment of the day, but in all honesty, she wasn't. Dean's constant and vigilant attention towards her seemed to keep those feelings at bay so it was always when she was alone that misery seemed to find her. The worst was when she was in bed at night. She would lie there, thinking about Danny and the sweet expressions she used to get from him, or the kind smiles he used to give her, but those days were long gone.

"Oh, I like this one!" Helen exclaimed, pulling out a navy blue dress that Allie usually reserved for church. Allie looked at her in surprise as she held up the matronly looking frock.

"Um, Helen, are you sure?"

"Oh yes, of course it needs a few adjustments here and there, but don't worry, you have Helen, Fashion Consultant to the Stars, to help you."

Both Maggie an Allie stifled their giggles.

Helen glared at them, but quickly went about instructing Allie to remove her school dress and slipping the other one on her. Once it was on, she pulled Allie's small sewing box out from under her bed and began to make her 'adjustments'. This included shortening the skirt and the sleeves of the dress. By the time she was done, it looked completely different and very far from the church dress Allie had always saw it to be.

"Helen," Maggie spoke up, examining Allie's dress, "I may not approve of this, but I can't deny that you seem to have some real talent for this type of thing."

Helen winked at Allie and thanked Maggie. She then excused herself, going downstairs to get more safety pins from Allie's mothers sewing box.

As soon as the door shut, Maggie sighed and fell down on the bed, looking Allie up and down. "Al, why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Allie asked, looking at herself in the full length mirror by her bed.

"This?" she replied with a motion of her hand. "Dean is no good for you."

Allie's head snapped quickly over to Maggie. Through her panic she managed to ask, "What?" she then caught herself and straightened up quickly and found a small laugh. "Maggie, why would you say that?"

Maggie didn't buy her act though and stared at her with intense eyes, "I know about Danny."

"You do? I uh...I mean, what are you talking about?"

"Maggie crossed her arms and shook her head, "Allie, I've seen the way you two look at each other. You really like him, I know you do. That's why I can't understand why you're going out with Dean."

Allie opened her mouth to answer, but all that came out was silence. Quickly she clamped her mouth shut, fighting back the frustration inside of her. Maggie could see her struggle and shook her head, her suspicions confirmed, "See, you don't even know, do you?"

"Dean is what I want, Maggie. At least... I think I do. He's what I thought I wanted anyway. I do like him... but..."

"But what, Allie?"

"But..." Allie was struggling now. She wanted to let her aggravation loose, confide in

Maggie all that had been happening, but she couldn't, she just couldn't.

Allie let out a deep breath and turned back to the mirror. "But nothing. I'm going out with Dean because he likes me and besides that, he's the handsomest boy at school. Danny is like a brother to me, that's all."

Maggie shrugged lightly and sighed. "It's your life, Allie. I can't help but think you're making a mistake, but I can't tell you what to do." She got up and examined Allie, looking her up and down, "Be careful though...don't let them change you. You're a good person and you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

Her words were soft and mature and for some reason they made Allie feel guilty. Her head fell in shame as the battle that waged inside of her gathered momentum… she had to tell Maggie, she just had to. She had to tell her that she had already let Dean get to her, that he had changed her, but then his words came back to her and the anger she had both seen and felt that day quickly followed.

Defeated, she turned back to Maggie and smiled, "I won't."

Dean came to pick up Allie at 6:30 that night and was greeted at the door by a grim looking Rafe who only let him inside, because Lorraine was there, right behind him, whining like a puppy in need of attention.

Dean came in, keeping his back to Rafe the entire time. Rafe couldn't believe that his parents were allowing Allie to still see Dean, especially after what he had told them about the kiss in the driveway. All they had done was laugh at him like he was a naïve schoolboy and told him that Allie was perfectly capable of making her own decisions when it came to that kind of thing. They trusted her.

So did Rafe, the person he didn't trust was Dean. Sure he had heard things about the guy, you couldn't live in a town as small as Shelby and not hear things about people, but he had never given the rumors a second thought until he had pulled up into his driving a couple of weeks ago a saw him practically sucking his sisters lips right off of her face. Up until then he thought Dean was an okay guy, but after, well, he could see why Danny hated him so much. People could remind him all they wanted about how old Allie was, but to Rafe she was still his little sister, and he didn't like the idea of anyone changing that.

"Is Allie ready?" Dean asked, of course not to Rafe's face.

Rafe grunted and hollered up the stairs for his sister. A few moments later, three pairs of footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and then Allie appeared followed quickly by Helen and Maggie.

Both Rafe's eyes and Dean's nearly bugged out of their heads when they saw Allie, but for different reasons. Rafe knew he had seen Allie wear that blue dress to church a few times, but now it was a hell of a lot tighter and shorter than it had been before. "What the hell are you wearing?" he asked, shocked, but his question fell on deaf ears.

"Oh Allie, you look divine," Lorraine swooned.

Dean smiled and nodded, "Divine is an understatement, Lori," he said coming towards Allie and wrapping his arm around her waist, "I'm going to have to beat the guys off with sticks tonight."

Allie laughed softly and blushed under Dean's too obvious appreciation of her form in the dress. She thanked both he and Lorraine before turning defiant eyes onto Rafe.

Rafe stared back at his sister not quite sure what to make of her actions. Maggie handed Allie her coat as she and Dean were walking toward the door.

"Bye," Lorraine waved dreamily. "Have fun."

After the door shut, Rafe huffed loudly. Lorraine turned to him, confusion on her face.

"Something wrong, Rafe?" she asked.

"Nothing you'd understand," he muttered and headed up the stairs leaving her and Maggie looking after him.

"Guess he didn't like her dress," Lorraine shrugged. "Brothers... what do they know anyway?"

The party was in full swing when Dean and Allie arrived. Everyone greeted them loudly insisting that they join the group. Allie had not been around Dean's friends much and she was shocked to see several of the boys slipping little flasks of alcohol around. She had never drank before and she didn't like being around people who did.

To her greater shock, Dean took the flask when it was handed to him and took a long swig on it before passing it back. When he saw her looking at him, he simply smiled and slid his arms around her shoulders. "Don't worry, Doll. It's just helps relax me, that's all."

Not wanting to appear immature or prudish, she managed to smile back but she couldn't help but feel out her element. She had never been around people who behaved this way.

As the night progressed, Dean continued to drink along with his friends. The more than drank, the more loud and boisterous they became. Allie hardly said a word to anyone and side quietly next to Dean as he carried on, bored out of her mind. By the time the party started to break up, she was more than ready to go home. She didn't fit in no matter what she said or what she did. She didn't like the way Dean's friends talked about other people especially ones who they deemed lower than them, which seemed to be anyone who wasn't at the party that evening. They openly laughed at them as they passed and cracked little jokes and insults behind the backs of those they didn't like. She was sure she even heard Rafe's name mentioned once or twice, but she couldn't be certain.

They said their good-byes and headed out to Dean's car. When they were almost there he stumbled into Allie sending her staggering sideways. He laughed as he grabbed her and pulled her to him. "Sorry baby, didn't mean to fall on you."

Allie gave him a small shove back and frowned up at him. "Dean, I'm not sure you should drive."

Dean's face suddenly contorted in anger. "Don't tell me what to do. I'm can drive just fine."

"You've had a lot to drink," Allie tried to explain to him but just as quickly as he turned angry, he smiled and cupped her face. "Don't worry, Allie. I'm in control of everything. Besides, I've being dying to be alone with you all night."

Again not wanting to appear immature, she let herself be swayed by his words. Perhaps he wasn't all that far gone, she told herself. She glanced up at him and sent him a small smile. "I'm sorry, Dean."

Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her cheek. "I'm in complete control, Doll and now all I want is to be alone with you. Don't you want that, too?" he asked placing small kisses on around her face.

Allie closed her eyes and felt herself lean into him. "Yes," she heard herself say. That was all the encouragement Dean needed to grab her hand and propel them to his car. He opened the door for her and helped her in and then he climbed into the driver's seat. He held out his arm and gestured for her come over to him, she did and he wrapped his arm around her as he started the car and pulled from the parking lot.

Dean drove down the winding roads but Allie wasn't completely aware of where he was going, she was so caught up in him. He would look at her now and then with a desirous look, once he even pulled her to him for a quick kiss sending the car veering in the other lane.

She did begin to notice that the road was becoming less smooth and she finally sat up and looked around to find that they were in the country, far from where they started. She tried to get a bearing of where she was by searching out a landmark. She saw a dilapidated barn with two matching silo's and realized that they were near the Walker farm. Her heart nearly fell to her feet when she realized this.

Finally Dean brought the car to a stop and she knew right away they were at Mulberry Bridge. This bridge held many memories for her. She, Rafe and Danny came here every summer and swam in the pond, using the low beams of the bridge as a diving board.

Danny... thoughts of him crept in her mind in spite of her best efforts to keep him at bay. There were too many memories of him here but she couldn't tell Dean that.

"Hey Doll you look tense," Dean lifted her chin to him as he spoke.

"I do?"

"Yeah...maybe you need a little something to help you relax too," he said, pulling a flask magically out of his pocket and held it out to her.

Allie looked at the silver flask nervously. "I don't think so, Dean, but thank you for asking."

"Come on, Allie, just one little drink won't hurt you."

He unscrewed the lid on the flask, dipped his finger inside and then slowly drew it across her lips. She immediately tasted the fiery liquid on her tongue and grimaced in spite of trying not to. She turned away, but his other hand somehow found its way to the back of her head and he pulled her back.

"Come on, just try it...you'll never know if you like it if you don't try it...doesn't your mom tell you that?"

"I can't," she whispered but he placed a finger on her lips. He lifted her face to his and kissed her softly sending all coherent thoughts from her mind. He pulled back and traced her lips again.

"You trust me don't you, Allie?" She nodded as he smiled at her response. "I just want you to try it. If you don't like it you don't have to try it again."

Allie found herself agreeing to his request and she gave him a slight nod, "Okay.' He grinned at her with a glimmer of victory in his eyes and held the flask to her lips and tilted it allowing some of the hot liquid to pour into her mouth and down her throat. She could feel herself start to gag, but managed to swallow all that he was allowing to flow out of the flask. She coughed a little, sputtering against his hand.

"It burns," she said hoarsely.

"Just for a minute, but then it gets real smooth," he answered her undaunted. "You should start to feel warm all over."

True to his word, she did begin to feel a little relaxed. He lifted the flask to her again and this time she took it without resistance. The drink she took was small, but it was enough to satisfy him

"See, I told you it wasn't all bad," he grinned.

She had to agree with him, and began to nod, but felt her head slowly fall back against the seat. She watched as he took his own gulp and then gave it back to her. She couldn't lift her head, but managed to take another small sip as he held it up for her again.

"You know what mixes great with this?" he asked and she shook her head, smiling, although she couldn't understand why. "This," he answered and pulled her to him. His mouth slid over hers hot and seeking, his tongue prying her lips open.

Allie was trying to comprehend what he was doing for he had never kissed her like this before. She pulled back but he had clamped his hand around the base of her neck preventing her from moving. Her lower body had slid forward when she tried to pull her head away and Dean took this as an opportunity to bring her further down in the seat. His body came over hers and realization of this hit Allie hard. She was scared now but Dean was persistent. She felt his hand slide beneath her skirt and up her leg. She finally managed to break away from him long enough to let out a scream. "Dean, don't!"

Dean went on as if he hadn't heard her and forced her face back to his and pressed his lips hard onto hers, silencing her pleas for him to stop what he was doing. With the new freedom of silence, his hands moved further up her body and she began to kick her legs furiously trying to stop him in anyway she could.

Dean pulled back just enough to trap her flailing legs beneath his. He laughed hotly as she struggled. "Don't fight it, Allie. I know you want this."

"No, Dean. Stop!" she screamed in fright. "Please don't do this," she pleaded hysterically.

What happened next was something Allie wasn't expecting. One minute Dean was on top of her and the next he wasn't. She gasped and struggled to sit up, pulling her rumpled skirt down.

As soon as she did she saw two figures wildly swinging at each other.

"Get your hands off of me, Walker!" Dean shouted angrily.

Danny? she thought crazily. She opened the door and staggered out on to the ground, the alcohol and Dean's rough handling of her causing her to be unsteady on her feet. She saw the two of them taking wild blows at one another and she could only cover her mouth with her hands and watch.

"I knew you were scum the minute you came around her!" Danny shouted back.

"Scum!" Dean spat, "You're the-" but before he could get the words out Danny swung his fist right into Dean's gut causing him to fall to the ground.

"If you touch her again I'll kill you!" Danny yelled over Dean's prone body.

Dean groaned but managed to come to his knees. "Walker, you're gonna be sorry you ever did this," he wheezed and growled at the same time.

"No, I'm gonna be sorry if I don't do this," he grabbed Dean's shirt and pulled him to standing. Before Dean knew what was happening Danny's fist landed straight into his face against his nose. Dean stumbled backwards grabbing his nose in the process.

Allie watched the scene in front of her wanting so badly to speak up and stop them, but she suddenly felt nauseous. She tasted the bile that rose up in her throat just before she leaned over next to the car and began to throw up all the alcohol that Dean had just made her swallow.

She heard Dean gasp for air as he hit the ground but she could do nothing to stop them. She body hunched over as she retched over and over again until her stomach quivered with spasms. She heard someone running up behind her and she turned in time to see that it was Danny. He stopped just short of her, looking down at her in fear. "Allie," he said her name breathlessly. "Are you okay?"

She turned back to the car, hiding her now tear stained face from him. "Go away, Danny," she choked out the words. "I don't want you to see me."

"Don't be dense," he replied and leaned down, putting his arms around her so he could help her stand. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

She wanted to fight him, but it felt too nice to feel safe again and she gratefully fell into his arms, resting her swimming head against his shoulder. "No, but if you hadn't been here, I…" she stopped, too ashamed to finish the sentence.

"Sshhh, it's okay. Let's get you outta here," he said and walked her past Dean and toward the dilapidated barn that sat across the field.


	12. One Night of Love

**I'm so sorry this took so long to update, I'm in the middle of madness right now with finals, works, and everything else :) Oh, Summer Break, you cannot get here soon enough.**

**Oh yes, a special welcome to all my new reviewers! Keep reviewing and let me know what you think :):):):)**

Chapter Twelve

Once Danny had Allie safely inside the barn he sat her down in the nearest chair and began to look her over in the dim light that was coming from the only lamp in the barn. He would have taken her back to his house, but his dad was in another one of his drunken stupors and after what Allie had been through, he did not think that bringing her around his father would be such a good idea.

"Al, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, tilting her chin from one side to the other checking every inch of her, making sure there were no marks on her.

Besides her tear stained face and red eyes, she seemed fine, but Danny wanted to be sure.

"Yes, I'm fine." She pushed his hand away and wiped the old tears from her eyes as new ones began to fall.

Danny rose from his kneeling position in front of her and moved up so that he was sitting next to her. Without thinking, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, letting her release her tears into his shoulder.

As Allie sat there, pouring her sorrow out in Danny's safe embrace, he fumed. He meant what he had said when he told Dean he'd kill him if he ever came near Allie again, in fact he had been more than ready to do it tonight, but Allie had needed him. He shuddered to think of what would have happened if hadn't of walked by when he did. If it hadn't of been for Allie's screams he never would have known they were there, but thankfully her voice had carried.

Allie, who's cries had now fallen into faint sobs, lifted her head and looked at Danny,

"Thank you." She replied in a half whisper.

"You don't have to thank me."

She wiped her eyes, "Yes, I do. If you hadn't of been there-" she began, thinking the same thing that he had only moments earlier, but he interrupted her, shaking his head,

"I know." He then paused, trying to muster all the strength he could to ask what he really needed to know, "How far did he get?"

She looked away when she answered, "Not very."

It was what Danny had suspected. When he had pull Dean off of her, they had both been dressed, but Allie's skirt had been pushed up to her waist and that was what had him worried and it was a comfort to hear that his worst nightmare hadn't come true.

"I suppose you're going to tell me 'I told you so' now. God knows I deserve to hear it." she said with a bitter laugh, but Danny shook his head,

"No, I'm not."

"You're not?" she asked turning to him looking slightly bewildered.

"No, I'm not going to. Trust me it wasn't something that I wanted to be right about."

"Why? You don't like him, you told me that yourself."

"I may not, but I know you did."

She sighed and for a moment, Danny thought she would speak, but she remained silent. He shook his head and lowered his arm, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Allie, why him?"

"Oh, Danny, not now." she said, springing up quickly from her seat, wiping her checks with both her hands. She quickly made her way towards the latter that led up to the loft and stopped, pausing to take a breath, "I don't know why, all right…I just don't know." She added as she began to cry again.

Danny rose from his seat and moved slowly towards her. Once he was close enough to touch her, his hands were on her shoulders and she turned around and looked at him gratefully through her tears,

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Danny looked down at her with a soft expression, "Allie, you know you don't have to ask."

She closed her eyes and shook her head, "After everything I've done to you in the past few weeks-"

"It's all forgotten." He said, attempting to hush her, but she pressed on.

"I didn't want to ignore you…well the first time I did, but the second, it was all him. He told me that if I was anywhere near you that he'd-"

"Allie, you don't have to protect me." He quietly interrupted.

Her eyes were glistening with tears as she looked deep into his eyes and replied, "Isn't that what you just did for me?"

"That's different." He said, "I did that because…because I care about you." He said, letting his gaze fall to the floor away from her, but she tilted his chin up, just as he had done to her only moments before,

"I care about you too."

"No, Allie…"he shook his head, torn between what he should do, "…you don't understand."

"What don't I understand?" she asked, but the confusion Danny expected was strangely absent from her face .

He bit his lip, hesitating before he once again told her, "I care about you."

To him his tone was unmistakable, but as he looked at Allie, he could see no shock or surprise from her. Kicking himself that he still hadn't managed to say what he really he felt, he sighed and began again, but Allie was in front of him quickly, her hands cupping his face and urging him to look her in the eyes,

"Danny…I care about you too."

Then he realized, he hadn't failed after all. Danny could feel his eyes rising in surprise, but Allie simply smiled, her whole face lighting up and wiping away the evidence of her experience that evening.

"How long-"

"A long time." She said still smiling.

He smiled back, relieved, "Me too."

"Why didn't you-"they both began at the same time and then laughed.

Danny was on cloud nine. Allie's eyes were saying all he needed to hear with her eyes as they looked at him with warmth and adoration. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her close to his body and for the first time, allowing every feeling he had kept hidden from her, take his emotions over. He held her tighter, holding her safely in the frame of his arms, inhaling her soft smell and feeling the waves of her soft hair wrapped around the tips of his fingers.

The world around them had stopped and Allie face was pressed into Danny's chest with her arms wrapped around his neck. She knew she was in heaven, there was no way should could be anywhere else. She felt the safety of Danny's arms and the unspoken love that she knew he had for her and she wanted nothing more.

Then a crash from outside pulled the two apart. Allie felt her heart leap into her throat as the thought of Dean coming in entered her mind. Then there was another, followed by a round of deep cursing that was unmistakable to both of them. Looking at one another, they both realized it was Danny's father and Danny was quick to usher Allie into one of the old horse stalls that was now used for storage.

He instructed her to keep silent by pressing his finger to his lips and she obeyed as he shut the door to the stall and then sunk down onto the hay-covered floor with her. Both of them felt the memory of so long ago when they had both hidden in the tall wheat of Shep Peterson's field.

The door to the barn swung open, slamming against the wall behind it and causing both Allie and Danny to jump. Danny's hand reached for Allie's and he gave it a reassuring squeeze as they listened to Danny's father move around only feet from them. He was obviously looking for something in the barn as he was quiet, except for his incoherent mumbling and only moments later he found what he had been looking for and the two held their breath as he walked by the stall and then out the opposite door.

Danny stood up first and looked around before he looked down at Allie and offered his hand. She took it and he pulled her up to her feet, bringing their faces close enough together to where they could feel the others warm breath on their skin.

Danny watched as Allie's eyes closed and her head tilted, expecting something that he really wanted to give. Ever since that night when he had seen Dean kissing her and he realized how he longed to do it himself, he had wanted her to be before him in this way. She was so soft, so beautiful…

As if an invisible force was pulling him towards her, he moved in slowly and stopped only when he had barely begun to brush her lips before he pulled away. He released her and took two steps back, calling himself an ass as he did so.

Allie's eyes opened and she looked at Danny with question, "Is something wrong?"

"No." he answered shaking his head, "I just think I should get you home."

"Oh." She said, trying to mask her disappointment, "All right, then."

"Yeah."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Danny and Allie arrived at her house. They had walked from Danny's in complete silence, but kept close to one another in the dark fields that separated their homes. 

As the house came into view, Allie saw that it was dark except for a lamp in the living room window. Tilting her wrist at an angle, she saw in the moonlight that her watch read 11:30, a whole half-hour past the time she had promised to be home. Her parents had been gone when she had left that night, but it was a safe bet that they were home now and probably upset with her.

Sighing, she began the short walk up the front steps and stopped short when she reached the door, turning around to face Danny who had followed her up on the porch,

"Thanks for walking me." She whispered so as not to alert anyone to her presence who may be lurking inside.

"No problem." His hands were stuffed into his pockets and his shoulders hunched uncomfortably as he looked at her and Allie turned away, unsure of what to do next. For the past twenty minutes she had been trying to figure out what she had done wrong in the barn. It seemed she had waited her whole life for that moment and when it had finally come he had pushed himself away.

She looked into his eyes, hoping to see something, anything to give her a clue as to what she had done, but there was nothing. She closed her eyes and took a breath, desperately trying to push away both the thought of Dean's harsh lips pressed against hers and then Danny's soft ones only slightly brushing against them. Shaking her head quickly, she looked at Danny once again,

"Night, then."

"Yeah, night." He muttered and turned to step down off the porch, but something snapped in Allie and suddenly she had to know, she had to know why.

"Danny!"

He turned around quickly, "What?"

"Why? Why didn't you do it?"

"Allie-"

"Is there something wrong with me? Is it what Dean did?"

He came to her quickly, "No, no, believe me that's not it."

"Then what?" she pleaded, "Why don't you want to kiss me?"

"Who said I didn't want to?

His answer was not what Allie had been expecting and she hesitated before she answered, "I thought-"she began, but Danny shook his head, silencing her. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand came up to caress her cheek, his thumb lingering for a few precious moments on her lips before he spoke,

"Do you know how long I've wanted to kiss you?"

Silently she shook her head.

"Years." He told her in a soft whisper that made her pulse quicken, "From that first time I looked at you and saw everything I needed and more in your eyes," he paused, his eyes staring right into her own, reminding them both of what he was speaking of, "To right now when you're standing right here in front of me and every moment in between."

"Really?" she asked, struggling to hold back the sweet tears his words had brought. He nodded as his face began to move slowly towards her. She watched as he neared, afraid that if she closed her eyes, he would pull away again, but when she felt his warm breath hit her skin, she found her eyes shutting on their own and was able to take one final breath before she felt the soft brush of his lips against hers.

He was gentle as he parted her lips with his own and Allie savored every movement he made. As the strokes of his lips against hers became quicker and firmer she found herself clutching to him, holding on tightly as they gave into the feelings they had shared for so long, but not realized until that very moment.

When he pulled away, Allie found herself gasping for air and desperately wanting him to come back to her, but all she could do was stare into his beautiful brown eyes as she attempted to tame her erratic breathing.

For a moment neither one of them spoke, they simply stared at one another, then from inside the house Allie heard her mothers clock begin its chime to signal the hour. Twelve times it rang, telling her that it was midnight and Danny smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye,

"Happy Birthday, Allie.


	13. Stormy Weather

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update this story! Oh I'm horrible, just plain horrible to leave you guys hanging like that LOL. Anyway I just wanted to apologize for that and to welcome all the new reviewers I had gotten since then. I love each and every one of you for reviewing and hope that you continue to do so :D

Oh yeah and a special thanks to Tipper for helping me with this chapter...LOVE YA DAHLIN!

**

* * *

**

Chapter Thirteen : Stormy Weather

November 30, 1935

The morning of Allie's birthday was just like any other birthday. She was spoiled with gifts at the breakfast table and serenaded with "Happy Birthday" over pancakes and scrambled eggs, her favorite breakfast. Yet, despite all of the lovely presents, the delicious breakfast and even the way Rafe seemed to have forgotten about their fight and given her a hug after she had opened his gift (a beaded bracelet) nothing compared to what Danny had given her the night before.

She closed her eyes as she sat at Mrs. Barnett's kitchen table, and let the memory come back to her, hitting her softly like a spring shower. The rush she had experienced then of excitement and exhilaration was still very much alive inside of her. She could still feel the tingle his lips had left on hers and she smiled as she relived the moment over and over again.

It seemed, at first, as if it was all part of her day dream…a kiss, as light as a feather against her cheek and as soft as the petal of a flower. She smiled and stirred as her imagination began to take on a mind of its own, but then as the hard lips came crashing down on hers and a rough tongue parted her lips, she felt the ice shoot throughout her body and knew something wasn't right. Her eyes opened quickly and realized how far away from her day dream she had been.

"Dean!" She jerked away from him and stood up quickly.

"Yeah, it's nice of you to remember me," he scowled at her.

"Stay away from me," she hissed as she stepped away from him. "I don't want you anywhere near me."

"That's too bad because we've got some unfinished business," he made a move toward her. "You left with him, Allie… with WALKER. How could you?"

Allie kept backing up until she hit the counter and couldn't move any further, still she remained angry and ready to defend herself. "I left with him to get away from you!" she replied angrily.

"You're my girl!" he growled. "You belong with me and what we had going on last night was between us. Walker had no right to interfere."

"You…you were going to rape me," she accused.

He laughed sardonically, "Rape? Come on, Allie. I don't have to _rape _anyone. You just needed a little push in the right direction is all."

"You're sick, Dean," she spat at him. "I told you no and you just kept grabbing me."

"You wanted it and you know you did," he glared at her as he spoke.

"I did not and told you to stop over and over again," she shook her head. "Don't talk to me anymore, Dean. Don't talk to me, don't come near me… just leave me alone from now on."

Dean stared at her for a moment and then his lips curled back into a sneer. "Just what did you do when you left me to go off with Walker? Did you give him what you wouldn't give me?"

Allie's eyes widened, but before she could even reply Dean was upon her, his hot breath against her face as he spoke.

"Listen to me and listen well, Allie. If Walker comes near you again I'll make sure he regrets it. I already owe him for what he did last night."

"You're crazy," she finally answered in a strangled whisper.

"If I find out you were with Walker you'll see just how crazy I can get," he threatened.

Allie gritted her teeth in anger and was ready to slap him away when the door to the living room clicked open. Dean moved away from her quickly, acting as if nothing had happened, leaving her to reel from the experience in silence.

"Alice, I apologize for my tardiness, but Mr. Adams here," she said referring to Dean's brother who was at her side, "Has been neglecting his scales."

Allie nodded, trying to rub the feel of Dean off of her, but it wasn't working. Her face felt hot and flushed and her skin still stung from his touch. She stood there as Dean apologized for Pete on behalf of his parents and assured her with his charming personality that he would be prepared for his next lesson. Then, as Pete was putting his coat on, Dean turned to Allie and kissed her on the cheek,

"I'll see ya, Doll and, oh yeah, Happy Birthday."

And then he was gone, finally allowing Allie to push away the cinder blocks that seemed to be resting on her chest. After taking a few deep breaths she turned around to find Mrs. Barnett staring at her with a perplexed expression.

"Alice, is everything all right?"

"Yes, ma'am." She lied quickly.

Mrs. Barnett didn't seem to be convinced but she wasn't one to pry. Instead she hustled Allie into the living room and for the next three hours, pushed just as hard as she normally would, allowing Allie to vent her frustrations freely through the strings of her violin.

* * *

When her lesson ended a few hours later Allie felt much better. Dean's actions were still with her, but she had played well that afternoon and it made her feel in control, on top of things, and besides it was her birthday. It was her sixteenth birthday and as far as birthdays go, it was one of the most important. Tonight her mother was making a special dinner with a delicious cake for dessert. Helen and Maggie would be there and so would Kay, sans Spencer. She really couldn't ask for anything more. 

When she reached her house, the aroma of dinner greeted her before she was even through the door and she smiled, feeling even more at peace because of it. Letting herself into the warm house she started up the stairs towards her room when she heard her name being called from the living room. Turning, she went inside and immediately wished she hadn't.

Her mother and father were there, sitting comfortably around the coffee table, with Sheriff and Mrs. Adams next to them and in the rocking chair in the corner sat Dean. He had his leg crossed casually over the other holding a glass of ice tea in his hand.

"Allie, aren't you going to say Hello to our guests?" her mother asked after a moment of Allie standing there in silence. Dean gave her a smile that belied the coldness of his eyes. She gripped her purse tightly and turned to his parents.

"Hello."

Dean's mother smiled warmly, "Hello dear, and Happy Birthday."

"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I just got home from my music lesson…I'd like to freshen up." She replied, knowing that she sounded rushed.

"That's fine dear. Maggie and Helen are all ready up there with Lorraine," her mother said. "Tell them dinner will be in about an hour and Kay and the children shouldn't be any earlier than that. That will give you plenty of time to visit with the girls and Dean."

Allie looked over at Dean whose smiled was now filled with smugness. She nodded before walking quickly out of the room and then running up the stairs as quietly as she could manage. When she had reached the landing and was preparing to go into her room she noticed that Rafe's bedroom door was open and heard several voices coming out of it. Peaking in, she saw Lorraine, Maggie, Helen, Rafe and Danny gathered in her brothers room laughing.

Lorraine and Helen were sprawled out on Rafe's bed with Rafe on the floor next to them. Maggie and Danny were seated on the other cross legged, a pile of cards in between them. Lorraine was the first to notice Allie standing in the doorway.

"Allie!" she exclaimed.

Everyone else looked up and towards the door, including Danny who's eyes locked with Allie's for a moment long enough to make her feel warm all over.

"You're late," Maggie said.

"Yeah, I know," Allie answered, tearing her eyes away from Danny's. "Looks like you guys started the party without me."

"It was boring downstairs," Lorraine shook her head.

"Did you see Dean?" Helen asked pushing herself up to standing.

"Yes," she managed to answer. "I'm going to change clothes now. Mom said to tell you dinner will be in about an hour."

She turned and left Rafe's room, making her way to her own. She was halfway across the hallway when she heard a voice call her name. She turned and saw Danny coming toward her.

"Hey," he looked concerned and his eyes said it all to her.

"Hey," she replied and tried to smile at him.

"You okay?" he asked leaning against her door frame.

"Yes… no," she let out frustrated sigh. "I can't believe he's here."

Danny shook his head. "Rafe said your mom invited them. She wanted to surprise you or something."

Allie closed her eyes in and took a deep, ragged breath. "This cannot be happening."

"What do you care? You're going to break it off with him right?"

"I…I don't know," she replied, exasperated.

"You don't know?" he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, "You don't know?" he demanded in an angered whisper, "How could you still want to be with him?"

"I don't want to be with him. I want to be rid of him as badly as you want me to be, trust me."

"Then tell him," he crossed his arms tightly.

"I tried," she pushed her fingers against her temple. "He was at my lesson today and I told him I didn't want him around me anymore and…in so many words, he refused."

"What did he say?" Danny's brows furrowed deep in anger.

She crossed her arms, shaking her head, "You don't want to know."

"What, did he threaten me again?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"Didn't I tell you that you don't have to defend me? He can't hurt me. You saw what I did to him last night."

"Danny, he was drunk-"

"Drunk, sober, I don't give a damn! I can take him anytime anywhere." He swallowed back, calming himself and then moved to Allie, taking her hands in his. "Why do you have this need to protect me? It should be the other way around. I'm a guy; it's my job to keep you safe."

She smiled, touched by his gesture. "That's very chauvinistic of you."

He laughed softly, "Thank you."

Allie stood there smiling as he brought her hands up and placed a warm tingling kiss on each, but all too soon the happy moment was broken as Dean came back to into both of their minds, reminding them exactly why there were out in the hall to begin with. The thought was followed quickly by more laughter from Rafe's room and the two slowly parted. Danny stuffed his hands into his pockets while Allie crossed her arms over her chest letting her gaze fall to the floor.

"I can't do this, Danny." She said in a hoarse whisper that stung her throat, "Now that we've been so honest with one another I can't pretend I still don't know." She looked back up to him, "It hurts too much."

He nodded silently, his jaw tightening in frustration.

"I-"

"Allie, Danny, what are you two doing out here?"

The two looked over to see Helen standing in Rafe's doorway, perplexed by the seriousness between the two. Maggie soon appeared behind her and Allie felt herself reluctantly backing away from Danny.

"Nothing, Danny was just…saying Happy Birthday to me."

"Good grief, there's plenty of time for that." She replied with a smile and shake of her head, moving towards Allie. "In the meantime, we need to get you gussied up…come on."

She drug Allie into her room leaving the door open for Maggie, but Maggie stayed in Rafe's doorway looking straight at Danny with understanding eyes.

After a moments pause she moved towards Allie's door and shut it. Danny could still feel her eyes on him and he gulped uncomfortably preparing himself for the worst.

"It was you wasn't it? That did that to Dean."

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, "It was."

She nodded thoughtfully, "I thought so."

"He had it coming." Danny said shortly, defending his actions.

She nodded again, "Yeah, I bet he did." She paused, sighing heavily, "I warned her about this."

"Yeah, well even if she had listened I don't think it would have made much difference." He said and then began to tell her what Allie had told him only a few moments earlier. She seemed just as appalled by it as he had and was quick to curse him for it.

"Ass!" she hissed, "Who does he think he is?"

Under any other circumstances, Danny would have found the situation funny. Maggie was not the type to utter any sort of profanity and to hear her say 'Ass' so easily was comical to him, but he was too angry with Dean to even remember how to laugh.

He stood there talking to Maggie for a few more minutes before she excused herself and went into Allie's room, shutting the door behind her. He lingered there for a moment, listening to the girls voices on the other side of the door, only hearing Helen's and occasionally Maggie's, but never Allie's.

He had been thinking about her all day, wanting to see her, talk to her, hold her…When he had woken up that morning he had felt like the world was brand new. No more Dean, no more worries. He had dressed and done his chores with a vigor that wasn't there the day before and it felt good.

The feeling had lasted all day until two hours before when he and Rafe had come in from the shed having just repaired a propeller on the crop duster. The two were filthy and heading up to the bathroom to wash up when the doorbell had rung. Rafe's Ma was quick to answer it and before Danny knew it, Dean was in the house, bruised face and all. The two had exchanged murderous looks, but Danny had made a quick escape before any more could be done. When Rafe came up a few moments, later he grudgingly explained why Dean was there with his parents, the two steamed over it for a while until Maggie, and Helen had showed up. Lorraine was quick to include herself in the group, but Dean stayed downstairs.

_Coward_, Danny thought as he went back into Rafe's room, but if he knew what was good for him though, he'd continue to stay far away from both him and Allie. If he didn't, he'd be more than happy to finish what he started… and the next time he'd do more than mess up his pretty face.


	14. It's a Sin to Tell a Lie

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I hope you all LOVE this chapter lol :)**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: It's a Sin to Tell a Lie

Needless to say dinner that night wasn't the most comfortable meal that Allie had ever had and it only added insult to injury that it was her sixteenth birthday, a night young girls are supposed to enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives. However, as Allie sat at the dining room table with Dean to her left and Danny across from her, she decided she would rather be in solitary dark cell in Alcatraz than celebrating her birthday with Dean at her side.

There were many times during the meal, when no one else seemed to be paying attention that Allie could feel Dean's cold gaze on her, but she never looked his way, she always kept her gaze to the other side or straight in front of her where she would see Danny's equally abrasive glare pointing at Dean. Dean, if he had any knowledge of what Danny was doing, was completely oblivious to it. For the most part, he kept himself heavily involved in the conversation going around the table acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. It made Allie positively ill to hear him answer her father's question of why his face looked the way it did.

"Oh a couple of boys and I decided to play a little late night football last night." He said indicating the swelling as if it were a mere scuff on his face. "Not something I'll be doing again, I can tell you that much."

Allie allowed herself to look at him then to confirm to herself how easily the lie had slipped out of his mouth and she clenched her fist in anger wanting to add her own blow to his battered and swollen face. Thankfully dinner ended before she could go about doing that and she sprang up from the table quickly, helping her mother and Kay gather the dishes.

"Oh no you don't, dear," Viviane said, coming to her daughter's side quickly and grabbing the four plates that she had all ready collected, "To the living room, you have gifts to open."

"But-"she began, just wanting the night to be over with.

"No buts, now shoo or I'll give every last one of them to Lorraine."

_Let her have them,_ Allie thought as she went into the living room and sat herself down on the couch, propping her arm up on the side and resting her chin in her hand. She sighed heavily as she saw Dean coming towards her with a smirk on his face that would have made a dead woman run in fear, but suddenly, like the heavens had opened up and smiled down on her, Maggie quickly moved into the seat that she knew Dean had intended to sit in.

Allie looked over at her both amazed and thankful and Maggie smiled back. Allie relaxed some, knowing Dean wouldn't start anything with Maggie and was able to actually enjoy unwrapping her first gift from Helen, a red and white sweater that fit Allie perfectly. She thanked her friend for the wonderful gift and was handed another, this one from Dean's parents.

She hadn't been expecting a gift from them and opened the small box they had given her with care. Inside was a beautiful mahogany jewelry box with a bouquet of roses engraved in the lid. She thanked them, wishing they hadn't had of done it because for some reason, it made her feel guilty about not wanting to be with their son.

Next was Maggie's gift, a board game, Monopoly.

"It's really fun." Maggie assured her, "My brothers and me play it all the time."

Allie thanked her with a hug, set the game next to the sweater on the coffee table, and looked to Danny, spying the wrapped parcel in his hand, but Dean lunged forward with his own box before Danny could even think of stepping towards Allie.

"Here." He said presenting the small box to her. Allie shot him a look, but masked her annoyance with a smile and began to open the gift. Once the paper was off, she lifted the lid of the box revealing a beautiful heart shaped pendant that dangled from an equally beautiful gold chain. She lifted it from the box, finding the pendant heavy between her fingers and stared at it, not sure what to say. As the people around her awed at the gift, Allie shifted uncomfortably at its sight, wishing that it could just disappear from her hand all together.

"Oh, Allie," Lorraine swooned, "It's lovely."

"Wow, Dean, good choice." Helen said, coming over to Allie to take a closer look, "You even got it engraved. Look at that Al, an 'A' for your name." she said, turning the pendant toward Allie.

Allie nodded, quickly dropping the necklace back in the box preparing to close it back up, but Dean was too quick for her and soon had it out of the box and around her neck. She glared at him as he pulled away to look at her, but he, along with everyone else save for Danny, was too focused on the necklace to give her a second thought.

"What a sweet son, I have." Mrs. Adams said, giving Dean a kiss on the cheek.

Allie smiled but her manner was stiff and she wanted nothing more than to rip the necklace away and throw it across the room. Meanwhile Lorraine leaned closer, practically climbing into Allie's lap, her eyes peering at the gift. She looked back at Dean,

""I bet you paid a small fortune for that, huh Dean," she spouted, and then turned to Allie with a sappy grin on her face."You gonna give him a smoocher for it?"

"Lorraine, really," Kay said, coming in from the kitchen, obviously annoyed with her younger sister.

"Oh that's okay." Dean replied with a grin in Kay's direction and then turned to look down at Allie, "Allie knows I've tried to be a gentleman with her... isn't that right, Allie?" he winked and grinned charmingly at her.

Allie felt a lump in her throat the size of a baseball. "Uh," she started as all eyes turned to her. "Yes... of course," she answered, her voice making a cracking noise as she did. She saw Danny turn away from her and without a word, stood from his spot and walked quickly out of the room with heavy footsteps that pounded into Allie like a hammer to a nail. Rafe, obviously puzzled, followed Danny out, but no one else seemed to pay much attention to it.

The party went on without the two of them, though Allie thought of them, especially Danny for the rest of the evening. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of misery, Dean's parents announced they were leaving, Maggie and Helen said that they ought to be as well and Dean, who had come in his own car, offered to give them a ride home.

"Why don't you come along?" Dean asked putting a heavy arm around her shoulder as they stood near the front door, but she shook him off and replied confidently, "No, I can't, it's past my curfew."

"Al, that's fine. Your mother and I don't mind." Her father suddenly spoke up and Allie could feel her eyes go wide. Quickly she shook her head,

"No, Dad, I-"

"Al, really its fine. I'm sure your mother won't mind. It is your birthday after all. Just don't be too late."

Just as Allie opened her mouth to protest Dean presented her with her jacket, holding it out for her. "Don't worry, Mr. McCawley, you'll never know she was gone."

"C'mon Al, come with us." Helen said, buttoning her own coat.

Feeling as if she had fallen into a trance, Allie found herself nodding, not seeing any other way out of the situation. She felt like everyone was against her, even though she knew that her father and friends had no idea about Dean's true personality.

She put on her coat, numbly allowing Dean to help her, all the while trying to suppress a nauseous lump that had begun to form in her stomach. She followed him out to his car, said good-bye to his parents, wishing they had been a normal family and come all together in the same car, and then slipped into the passenger seat of his car, letting him shut the door for her.

Once they were all settled and the car had been started, Dean turned on the radio, letting Guy Lombardo's voice fill the dark silence around Allie and she sunk back into the seat as the car pulled out onto the road, arms crossed wishing she was anywhere else than where she was.

* * *

"You're sure you're all right."

"Rafe, I'm fine. I told ya, that guy just rubs me the wrong way."

"Yeah, you ain't the only one," Rafe took a seat next to Danny on the crate in front of the crop duster and sighed, "I don't like the way he looks at Allie."

Danny, leaning forward, resting his elbows against his knees, nodded, "Me either."

"Like a lion on the prowl."

"Then why haven't you said anything to your folks yet?" Danny asked, turning to him.

"Don't you think I've tried? The little snake hasn't done anything though. He's _perfect_." He spat, the word leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Danny knew this would have been the perfect opportunity to tell him about the night before, but he held himself back, unsure of how Rafe's temper would handle the news.

"I don't know." Rafe shook his head, "Part of me wants to think that she can take care of herself, but I'm too afraid of another Kay. Spencer seemed like an okay guy and look how that turned out."

"Allie is NOT gonna marry him." He said with a firm certainty that he quickly regretted as Rafe eyed him with suspicion.

"And how do you know? Is there something going on that I don't know about?"

Danny hesitated then quickly replied, "How the hell should I know?" he paused, taking a breath to collect himself, "Allie just isn't dumb okay. I know her, I mean damn…" he then added, just for effect, "…she's practically my sister."

Rafe turned his eyes forward and nodded, "Yeah, that's true.

The two talked a for a few minutes more, before they felt the need to head back in doors. Upon entering the house through the back door, they found the kitchen dark and the house quiet. Rafe's eyebrows rose and he motioned for Danny to follow him into the living room, where they found Rafe's dad in his rocking chair, newspaper in hand, pipe in mouth, listening to the radio.

"Where is everybody?" Rafe asked.

Mr. McCawley lowered the paper and removed his pipe. "Your mother and Kay are putting the little ones down, Lorraine is around and Allie went out with Dean and her friends."

"What!" Danny hadn't meant it, but the exclamation had popped out of his mouth before he could even think of stopping it and Mr. McCawley turned to him with question.

"You all right there, son."

"She left with him?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Mr. McCawley gave him a strange look. "Yes, is that a problem?"

"Uh, no, sir." He said trying to mask his shock and the fact that he had just made a fool of himself.

"I'm sure Allie's fine. Dean's a good kid, she's in good hands." Mr. McCawley said before putting the pipe back into his mouth and reopening the paper. Rafe shook his head at Danny and smacked him hard on the shoulder as they walked out of the room and towards the front door.

"What the hell is wrong with you, huh?"

Danny didn't answer, he felt as if he had been punched in the stomach by a thousand fists and the impact was more than he could handle. He actually staggered for a moment and then stopped in front of the door.

"Danny?"

"Thanks for having me over." He said in a strange voice.

Rafe nodded, but looked at him with a perplexed expression. "Yeah, no problem. You know you're always welcome over here."

He opened the front door."Yeah I know that…night." He said stepping out.

"Night."

* * *

**Yay, another chapter completed! Don't forget to R/R:D**


	15. Whispers in the Night

**Oh WOW WOW WOW, thank you all SO much for all of those great reviews! I know some of you were kind of mad at the end of the last chapter, but I guarantee you won't think its so bad after you read this one. **

**I was also really surprised to see some of my Titanic fic readers coming over and checking this out. Welcome guys! I hope you stick around : )**

**A special thanks goes to Tipper who gave me a lot of pointers with this one.**

**Well here it goes…Chapter 15…whoa, seems like only yesterday I was on Chapter 5…lol**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Whispers in the Night

_November 30, 1935_

_"So you met someone who set you back on your heels…goody goody! So you met someone and now you know how it feels - goody gooooooody!"_

Both Helen and Dean's voices echoed throughout the dark car, overshadowing a song that had at one time been one of Allie's favorite Benny Goodman tunes. From now on, she knew whenever she'd hear it, she would think of Dean and the hell she had been in since climbing into his car twenty minutes ago.

"C'mon Allie, why don't you sing with us?" Helen asked from the backseat.

"I'm tired." Allie answered from her place in the front as she threw Dean a nasty look, but of course, neither member of the duet seemed to notice. They continued to sing in loud voices ignoring both Allie and Maggie, who had also kept quiet from her place next to Helen in the back.

Just as the song was ending, Dean pulled up to Helen's and got out of the car to open the door for her. She thanked him, wished Allie a happy birthday, said a quick good-bye to Maggie and then ran against a sudden cold breeze into her house. Dean got back into the silent car giving Allie a sideways look as he put it into gear. It was a look that gave Allie a bad feeling of anticipation that she didn't quite understand.

Dean started down the road, made one turn, then another until he was in front of Maggie's two story green and white house.

Maggie opened the door for herself. "Walk me to the door, Al.," she said as she slid out and Allie paused for only a moment before following her instructions.

"Don't take too long." Dean called after her, but she ignored him and wrapped her coat tightly around her as she followed Maggie to the door. Once there Maggie turned to her with a soft, yet stern gaze.

"Al, promise me you'll make him take you straight home."

"Why wouldn't I?" she inquired.

Maggie shook her head, not wanting to think about that. "Just promise me," she stressed, "I have a bad feeling."

"Maggie-"

"Don't argue with me, please. I talked to Danny, I know what happened last night and I don't want it to happen again. I have a right mind to make you stay here with me. I'd sooner send you into an active volcano than I would into his car, but I know I can't do that."

Allie shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. Dean pounded his horn loudly, announcing his impatience to the whole street, but she ignored him and kept her eyes glued to Maggie.

"Don't worry, I'll go straight home, I promise."

"Make him promise." She said firmly and Allie nodded,

"I will." She replied, though she wasn't sure she would be able to.

Maggie forced a smile and hugged Allie tightly, wishing her a happy birthday before she went into the house and Allie started back to the car. When she got in and had settled in her seat, Dean slammed his foot on the gas pedal, pulling the car violently onto the street.

"What is wrong with you?" Allie demanded, gripping her seat.

"What, I'm just giving it some gas…see?" he said and did it again as he rounded a turn. The force of it pushed Allie against the door and she could feel her anger and annoyance towards him growing.

"Will you stop that!" she screamed.

"Fine, I'll stop." He hollered back and suddenly slammed on the breaks. Luckily Allie was able to brace herself or her head would have probably gone right threw the windshield. She turned to him, her eyes blazing with fire.

"You're insane, do you know that?"

He put the car into park, knowing full well that given the hour, the chances of someone else coming down the road were slim, and then turned to her." Only for you, Doll, only for you."

His voice was suddenly low and as he began to come near her Allie's senses pick up the odor of alcohol that was practically dripping from his skin.

"You've been drinking." She said, her voice suddenly quiet and he laughed at her innocent observation,

"There was no other way I would have made it through that dinner."

"Then why did you come?"

His face was now next to hers, his lips in her hair and then near her ear, "How else would I get your parents trust?" he whispered deviously. She brought her hands and irately pushed him away from her. He lunged back, but she was prepared for that and stuck her foot out, making sure the square heel dug into his stomach.

"Stay away from me!"

He cursed her, pushing her foot out of the way, slamming it into the dash, making her wince in pain and was back in front of her, pushing her against the door, breathing hotly down her neck and that was when the site of car lights reflecting in the mirror tore his attention away from her.

He sat up quickly, readjusting himself in the driver's seat, and Allie found herself involuntarily doing the same. He started the car, before the one behind them could realize they were stopped and continued down the road, making a left turn that led in the opposite direction of her house, away from the sight of the other driver.

"Take me home." She said softly, her voice cracking.

His answer was a firm push on the gas pedal.

"I said, take me home." She repeated, this time louder.

Still he did not answer and only pressed the gas more.

"Dean, I mean it."

A longer press on the gas was his response and Allie looked out the window at the trees along side the road that were now nothing but a blur. She knew they were going too fast and from the look of determination in his eyes, she knew he had no intention of slowing down.

"Dean, please turn around" She now found herself begging.

His head snapped to her, "You want me to turn around?" he asked sardonically.

She nodded, "Yes, I do."

"Walker can't save you now, Allie…," he said not taking his eyes off her.

Allie saw that they had slowly started to drift into the next lane and ignored his comment about Danny, "Pay attention to the road."

"Do this, do that…if you were as good as girlfriend as you were a nagger we wouldn't be having this little problem! It's my car and I'll do whatever I want when I'm in it! I can go this way…," he said turning sharply into the next lane, "Or this." He said and then moved back into the other, "Or I can drive in both." And with that, he began to swerve, at top speed from one lane into the next.

"DEAN, STOP IT!" she screamed then, every part of her terrified.

"NO!"

He swerved more violently bringing Allie's screams to top volume, but he persisted, getting enjoyment out of her fear.

She was too preoccupied with his actions and he with her screams that neither one of them saw the truck in the next lane coming towards them at top speed, its horn blaring, until it was too late.

It was as if time had slowed down when both of them turned to see the vehicle speeding towards them. In an almost reflexive move, Dean jerked the steering wheel in the opposite direction, but it wasn't enough.

Allie heard the impact before she felt it. The sound of twisting metal and the crush of glass was all around her and she found her hands moving out to protect her as the car began to spin violently and out of control across the road.

A horrifying scream tore from her throat when she felt the car leave the road and fear pull her into its tight grip at as the groan of the twisted metal filled the hollow void around her and she felt the car begin to flip. Allie was slung forward and slammed into the dash as the car left the road. Pain shot through her body when she was slung back again, having no control over what was happening to her. For what seemed an eternity, the car rolled again and again and with one final crunch, she landed on something hard. Then just as quickly as it had all begun, it stopped and except for the hiss of steam releasing itself from somewhere above her, there was silence.

She knew she was on the ground. It was cold and hard underneath her, and she could vaguely feel the stab of rocks and fallen twigs in her back. Her vision was blurred and she was lightheaded, and she struggled with all her might to make sense of what had just happened. Her head turned one way, towards the road where she could see the faint glow of light and then above her where the stars shined brightly and her breath was but a small fog in the autumn evening sky. Then slowly her neck careened towards the car and she lost her breath for a moment when she saw that it was laying on its side.

She knew it wasn't safe and realized after a long moment that she had to move away. Slowly she tried to push herself up but quickly realized that she couldn't move. She then settled back in the dirt, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself and try to gather her bearings. As she had always done when under pressure, her hand automatically went to her hair to push it behind her ear and that was when she felt her fingers brush against something warm and sticky. Pulling her hand away, and could see in the dim light that her hand was covered in blood. Now panicked she brought her hand up and felt around until she felt the gash beneath her hair.

Quickly she pulled it away and then, trying to soothe her nerves, took a deep breath and then exhaled very slowly. She began to try once again to move her legs; she then suddenly realized she couldn't. She struggled to sit up; focusing her still blurred vision on her legs and could hardly register what she was seeing. She could only see her legs from the knee up; the other half was pinned under the car.

She blinked, once, twice, three times, hoping that she wasn't seeing what she was and tried with great desperation to move them and that's when the realization hit her. She couldn't feel them, there was no sensation at all, not even pain. She could feel herself start to shake and felt her heart begin to pound hard inside her chest. Her panicked breathing quickened and she cried out, feeling the hot sting of tears in her eyes. A voice called out to her, but she was all ready too far gone in her hysteria to comprehend it. She could feel herself slowly slip out of reality into a black void somewhere far in the back of her mind, escaping from her situation in the only way she knew how.

* * *

Rafe's hand drummed absently mindedly against the arm of the chair he sat in as he watched his parent's faces become more and more horrified as they spoke to the doctor. The doctor's low voice did not carry towards Rafe, though he wished to God it had, after all he had been the one who had answered the door when the police came. He had been the one to drive them there and he had been the one who had warned them time and time again that this guy was no good, but did anyone listen to him…No! 

Just watching them speak had made him all the more worried and sick. It was the first time in his life where he truly had no control and he hated it. All he could do was sit there in the damned uncomfortable chair, watching them with tired eyes all the while replaying the events of the past few hours over and over again in his mind.

He still couldn't shake the look the two deputies had given him when he had opened the door, they knew him, he knew them, and they knew Allie. It was a small town, things like that tended to happen. When they had first told him about the accident, he refused to believe it, due to reckless driving they had said. He didn't like Dean, hell, he hated the guy, but it never crossed his mind that he would intentionally put Allie in danger. The two deputies were far too insistent though and against his will he was forced to believe that his sister was on the brink of death.

Naturally his parents had lost their minds, especially his mom. She had cried the whole drive to Carson and all through town as Rafe desperately tried to locate the hospital. When they finally found it and made their way into the building, the first person they saw was Shawn. He had rushed towards his mother with open arms and held her for a moment, while their father had gone off to find the doctor. He then greeted Rafe with a brotherly hug.

"Kay called you?" Rafe asked as they led their mother towards the waiting area and Shawn nodded. He lived in Carson, but Rafe knew that he could have lived in California and still come.

That was who was sitting next to him right now, looking just as sick and scared as Rafe felt. He was older, and it usually showed, but not now. The dim light in the room gave him a mask of frailty and vulnerability that Rafe could also see on both of his parents faces and was quite sure he worse as well.

His parents remained in deep conversation with the doctor for several more minutes before finally coming back over to him and Shawn. Rafe watched his mother move on unsteady legs with his father's help. She held a handkerchief to her face, releasing a choked, silent sob every few seconds that gave Rafe only a glimpse into the pain that she must have been experiencing.

Shawn quickly gave up his chair for her and then turned to his father for answers,

"Well?" he asked.

Rafe saw the dried tears on his father's face and watched him swallow back more that were aching to burst free.

"She's…she's…" but he couldn't get the words out, and Rafe found himself fearing the worst.

"Dad." Shawn said in a strong tone, a tone that seemed to give their father strength and he stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"She's alive, but they're watching her very closely."

"What does that mean? What's wrong with her?" Rafe demanded, wanting answers and wanting them now.

Quietly his father looked down to their mother, then stepped forward and put an arm around Rafe and led him out of her earshot.

"Son, she's been to hell and back and we need to be thankful that she's still with us."

Shawn who had followed asked for more details and Rafe didn't object. Their father took a quick look over at their mother who was crying softly in her chair and then turned back to them.

"The car was going quite fast, as you know. When it went off the road she was thrown from it. Then it rolled and continued to roll…it landed and her legs were pinned underneath." He took a breath, "Thankfully she wasn't on completely flat ground or it could have been much worse."

"Good God." Shawn replied, closing his eyes.

"On top of that, the doctor said she was badly cut by all the glass and such that was flying around. She has a fracture in her wrist and a deep cut just behind her ear."

Shawn and Rafe fell silent as they absorbed the news. Rafe couldn't even imagine how much pain she had been in, sure he had broken his leg that one time, but that didn't even compare to having a car landing on them.

"What about the other kid?" Shawn asked.

"Broken wrist and a few cuts." Was the reply and murderous thoughts immediately swept into Rafe's mind. "They're letting him go home tonight."

"Can we see her?" Shawn then asked, interrupting the angry thoughts now swarming around in Rafe's head like a pack of angry bees.

He nodded, "Yes, I'm taking your mother home though. She's in no condition to stay here."

Shawn and Rafe both nodded and their father gave them the room number, promising he'd be back in a few hours. They left the waiting area and made their way down a long white hallway, turned a few corners and found the room. Shawn turned to Rafe and took a deep breath before he opened the door and then, there she was.

Bandaged and gauzed, Allie lay still on the bed in front of them, her eyes closed, her breaths long and deep. Small red cuts covered her face, neck and arms and Rafe could see the large bandage on the side of her head just under her hairline where the gash was that their father had only just mentioned. Her legs thankfully were under the blanket, Rafe didn't think he could handle seeing them right now.

He moved closer to her and looked her over, noticing more cuts from the glass and several bruises, including a large one on her cheek and several more up and down her arms. He didn't know what to say and from the looks of it, neither did Shawn. He only looked down at her, shaking his head and looking more and more angry by the second.

"I just can't believe it." he suddenly spoke, "I'm standing right here and she's there… right in front of me and I still can't believe it." he paused and looked over at Rafe. "What I wouldn't give for her to wake up and look at me like I'm a complete nut job for actin like this."

Rafe wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. All he could do was stand there, look down at his sister, and try to suppress his sadness and anger.

"I'll be back." He said after awhile, feeling like he would go crazy if he stayed in there one minute longer. Shawn nodded from his place next to Allie. He was now seated beside her, holding one of her limp hands in his own.

Rafe left the room quickly, so quickly in fact that he nearly ran right into Sheriff Adams and Dean who had just come out of the neighboring room. Dean looked pretty beat up, more so than he had before. There were cuts all over his face just like Allie's, but they weren't nearly as bad. A large bandage was on his forehead and his left arm in a sling, tightly wrapped.

"Rafe," the Sheriff Adams acknowledged with a nod, "Where are your parents?" Sheriff Adams asked in a somber tone."

"Dad took Mom home, she's not taking it too well." He explained, keeping his eyes on Dean, who seemed to be avoiding him.

The Sheriff nodded and peered over Rafe's head taking in the sight of Allie unconscious in the bed behind him. He shook his head.

"We'll be praying for her." He said turning back at him.

"Thanks." Rafe replied hoarsely.

"I just don't understand how this happened." He replied, shaking his graying head. It was obvious that he had expected an answer from Dean, but even Rafe could see that Dean's mouth had no intention of opening and after a long silence, he put his arm around his son and gave Rafe a slight nod,

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. You let your parents know that."

"I will, "Rafe replied with a nod, "Thank you, sir."

He nodded back and then led Dean down the hallway, disappearing behind a corner and allowing Rafe to release a long slow breath that he seemed to be holding in since the conversation had started.

If he hadn't been mad at Dean before he sure as hell was now. The guy seemed to have no feeling for what had happened to Allie, or an explanation for that matter. They all knew he hadn't been driving like he should have, the trucker they almost hit had informed the police of that, but still something didn't seem right. His sister could have died tonight and the chance that she still could was very strong. He was her boyfriend, the least he could have done was say he was sorry.

Yeah, Rafe thought with a snort of laughter, the _least_ he could have done…

* * *

**Well I hate to leave you guys with such a cliffhanger, but I'm fixin to go on vacation (23rd to the 7th) and am not sure if I'll be able to update again before I leave. I will try, but I can't make any promises (though some nice reviews here and there can't hurt lol)**

**Until next time...**


	16. You and I

**OH THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR REVIEWS! I loved coming home from vacation and seeing all of them. You guys are just wonderful, awesome and well…THE BEST! **

**A special thanks for Tipper for giving me a hand with this chapter ;) Hope everyone enjoys!**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter Sixteen**

_December 1, 1935-_

The morning air was bitterly cold and stung Danny as soon as he put his feet on the floor that morning. Shivering, he moved quickly across the room to his dresser and slipped on a pair of socks. He then found a thick sweater and slipped it on over his head. His father was one who preferred the house cold, though Danny was sure that was only because he refused to put out the extra money to get their heat running. That fact only added to Danny's grim mood that morning. The events of the night before had not left him nor did they show any signs of relinquishing the grip they seemed to have on him. All he could think about was Allie. At first, he had been angry with her. After all, what kind of idiot got into a car with a person they knew they could not trust? However, that notion was quickly dashed. He knew Allie and he knew that she didn't want to be within twenty feet of that guy. He could only assume that she could find no other way out of the situation without causing a scene.

On the walk home, he wished over and over again that she would stop being so damn noble for two seconds and do the right thing for herself, but again, that just wasn't Allie. All he could do was hope that Maggie and Helen's presence had been able to sway Dean from any big ideas he may have had.

Opening the door, that still didn't work quite right since that night a few weeks ago, Danny made his way downstairs, arms crossed tightly over his chest and into the kitchen, where he found his father, slumped over at the kitchen table, a familiar sight that he wished wasn't. He went to his father's side and leaned down and took his father's limp arm over his shoulders

"Come on, Dad." He said lifting him to his feet.

Barely conscious, his father's body was slumped onto him leaving Danny to carry his father's dead weight, with much difficulty, into the living room. He dropped him on the couch, annoyed to all hell that this had happened, again, and reached for a blanket that had been slung across a nearby chair. He threw it over his father, who was now completely dead to the world. He shook his head and started out of the room when a wrapped parcel from the night before caught his eye. It had been under the blanket and he went over and grabbed, taking it back it to the kitchen with him.

He had gone to a lot of trouble and thought awful hard about what to get Allie for her birthday and finally after much debate had decided on an old antique necklace he had found with a musical note pendant. It had seemed perfect for Allie, but when he saw Dean put _his _necklace around her neck it felt like a stab to his heart. He shook his head at the harsh memory and put the box down on the counter while he got a drink of water.

Taking the last few gulps from the glass he stared at the box for only a moment before he decided that he needed to give it to her. He snatched it back up, stuffed it into his pocket and went to the coat rack. He slipped on his jacket and was out the door, soon cutting his way through the familiar fields and going towards the McCawley's house.

As the house came into his view, he immediately realized that something wasn't right. The house was dark and the cloud of smoke he was used to seeing rise from the chimney on mornings like this was absent. He tried to reason, as he walked up the porch, that maybe he was making a mountain out of a molehill, but when he opened the door and heard the silence, he was hit with the hollow feeling that something was definitely wrong.

"Hello?" he called and was answered with more silence.

He walked into the living room, feeling more and more nervous with each step. Something wasn't right. The living room was empty and he turned back just in time to see Lorraine coming down the stairs. She was still in her two-piece pajamas and her hair was done up in knotted rags, but what Danny noticed were her puffy eyes and the tears running down her cheeks.

"Lorraine?" he asked and she looked up giving him a better view of her sadness. "Lorraine what is it?" he asked suddenly concerned and moved towards her. She was in his arms before he even reached her and sobbing hard into his shoulder.

He patted her back, still pressing for answers but it was a long time before she pulled away, sniffing and wiping her eyes.

"Lorraine what happened?"

"It's Allie. She was in a car accident last night and she's in the hospital," her voice broke again as she spoke. Danny was sure she must have said more, but he wasn't aware of it. He felt as if the breath had left his body such was the shock of her statement. He turned away from her and started walking to the door.

"Danny, wait," Lorraine called, but he kept walking. When he stepped through the door, he looked up at the cold, gray November sky and wanted to scream. Not Allie, his mind said over and over again. He forced himself to put one foot in front of the other and before he knew it, he was running down the long, dirt road into town. He ran so hard, so fast that his lungs felt as if they were on fire, but he didn't care. His only concern was Allie, he had to get to Allie, he had to see her for himself. His mind was whirling with every imaginable horror, but he was holding back the panic he was feeling. Before long Maggie's house came into view and he ran up to the door and begin beating it with his fists. His breathing was labored and uneven, but he didn't care how he appeared. Maggie opened the door as if she knew it would be him.

"Allie," he gasped.

"I know," she nodded, guilt and remorse clouding her worried features. "Danny, I... I tried to warn her, but she was certain she would be alright."

"What happened?" he asked between breaths, not sure if really wanted to know, but still he asked anyway. Maggie lowered her head and bit her lip. "Dean lost control of the car. It landed on her," she paused for a moment. "On her legs. That's all I know."

Danny closed his eyes and slammed his fists against the porch wall. He then whirled away from her and clutched his head with his open hands. He should have been with her! She should have been no where near that maniac!

Pain like he had never known gripped his chest so hard he thought it burst. He lowered himself to the steps, taking great gulps of air to calm himself. He felt Maggie's comforting hand on his shoulder as she came up behind him. "Danny, please don't. We have to be strong for her. She needs us... she needs you to there for her."

His laugh was bitter and harsh. "She needed me last night and I wasn't there! I should have went after her when I found out where she had gone. This is my fault!"

"No, Danny, " Maggie shook her head and walked around to face him. "This is not your fault. This is Dean's fault. He was the one who put her in danger, not you."

"I should have protected her," he gritted harshly. Maggie shook her head again. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. No one did. Don't blame yourself for this, Danny."

"I blame myself alright," he threw his head back as the emotions of it all threatened to overwhelm him. "Everyone I love I couldn't protect. First my mom and now Allie."

"Danny, don't do this," Maggie gripped his shoulders. "Let's go to the hospital, alright? You can see her and maybe talk to her. Besides, Rafe needs you, too."

Danny wasn't sure why he let her, but the next thing he knew Maggie was walking him to her dad's car. "I'll be right back, okay? I have to tell my parents where I'm going. I'm sure they won't mind."

Nodding, Danny leaned back against the door and shoved his hands in his pockets. Everything he told Maggie was true. She could deny it but it was true. He should have protected her. He knew what a slimy jerk Dean was and yet he left her there to go off with him. Guilt washed over him. What about Rafe? What would Rafe do once he discovered that he knew about Dean and didn't tell him?

Some friend he was, he snorted. If he had only told Rafe and then Rafe would have told her parents and there was no way they would have let her go anywhere near him. But, he hadn't. He held back like the coward he was and now look what had happened. Allie was in the hospital in God only knew what condition and it was all his fault.

In a few minutes Maggie came out with her purse and her keys and they headed out toward the highway. It took only thirty minutes to get there, but to Danny it felt like hours.

Once she pulled into the parking lot, they made their way to the hospital entrance. They were directed to Allie's room by a nurse dressed in stark white and glasses. As they neared the hallway, Danny felt his guts begin to do a deep churn of fear. He stopped just short of the turn and crossed his arms over his chest.

Taking several deep breaths, he released them and closed his eyes. What if Rafe already knew? What if Allie was in worse shape than they thought? How could he face them?

"Danny?" Maggie called after him.

He turned and faced her. "I'm alright. I just need a minute. You go on, I'll be there." Maggie paused for a moment and then nodded her head. "Okay," she smiled and then disappeared down the hall.

Danny leaned back against the wall and tried to shake the nauseating feeling that was all over him. He took more several more deep breaths and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Danny," he heard Rafe call his name. He jerked his head up to see his friend coming near him. The first thing he noticed was how tired and worn Rafe looked. His clothes were rumpled and his eyes were blood shot.

"Rafe," Danny nodded.

"I came as soon as I heard," he heard himself say. He stood from the wall as Rafe reached him.

"I'm glad you're here, buddy. It's good to see you."

"How is she?" he asked, but even as he did a lump formed in his throat in anticipation of the answer Rafe would give him. Rafe lowered his head. "It's bad. Real bad. It's her legs. The doc says she may be paralyzed but it's too soon to tell."

Paralyzed! The word reverberated through his already tortured mind. No! Not that, anything but that!

"She doesn't even know yet. They didn't think it would be wise to tell her. I don't know, Danny," Rafe's thick voice was full of emotion. "How the hell did this happen? One minute everything is fine and now this? And do you know what's the worst part? Winters walked away with a few scratches. A few scratches! That son of a bitch should be six feet under as far as I'm concerned."

Danny nodded, believing the same. "So, she doesn't know what's happened to her?" he asked, trying to change the subject. He was far too preoccupied with Allie to even think about that piece of manure right now.

"No, she doesn't." Rafe shook his head. "She didn't wake up until a few hours ago, and even now she kind of goes in and out. You wanna see her?"

"I-"

"Come on." Rafe replied before he could answer. He put an arm around Danny's shoulders and led him into the room. Allie was the first thing he saw when he walked through the door and it was an even harder smack in the face than he had anticipated. As he stood there, stunned at the sight of her lying before him broken and bruised he felt Maggie's eyes on him. She was standing next to Allie, her face revealing only a glimpse of the pain the was raging inside of her as her best friend lay unconcious in the bed before her. Danny still stood frozen in his place, not taking his eyes off Allie as Rafe moved towards Maggie and spoke in a low voice, telling her what he had just told Danny.

Her hung as he spoke and she nodded, taking in every word before she looked up and at Danny again. This time he looked back and they looked at one another for only a brief moment before she wiped her eyes and turned to Rafe, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"I need to get some air. Would you mind walking with me?" her voice was shaking, leaving no room for doubt that she was just as upset as they were.

Rafe hesitated, but found his answer quickly. "Yeah, sure. I need some myself." He put an arm around Maggie and led her towards the door, stopping when they reached Danny. "You don't mind sitting with her, do you?"

Danny shook his head, his voice lost, but Rafe understood and gave him a gracious pat on the shoulder before leaving with Maggie. It wasn't very long after they had gone that Danny found himself moving towards the bed, slowly. He took a seat on her right allowing himself to see close-up, every mark, bruise and scrape visible on her body. He placed a shaking hand on her bandaged wrist in a fanatical hope that he could somehow make the wound disappear, but when he pulled his hand away he found that it was still there and just as ghastly looking as before.

He sat back and closed his eyes, inhaling slowly, trying to block the stampede of tears that was aching to break free.

The rustle of the stiff sheets was what brought him back and he opened his eyes just in time to see Allie's own tear stained eyes open. Immedietly he was leaning back towards the bed, alerting her to his presence.

"Allie?"

Her head slowly turned towards his voice and she immediately allowed her bruised and cut lips to stretch into a soft smile.

"Hi." Was all she said, but it was the most beautiful sound in the world to him. He beamed and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She brought her left hand up to touch his face, keeping him closer to her.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't come." She whispered.

"Why are you worrying about silly things like that?"

"I thought you be mad at me." She replied, still whispering. "I didn't want to go, but I thought that…I didn't think…I don't know. My head is so foggy."

Not wanting to get her worked up, Danny gave her a gentle push down on to the bed, holding on to her good hand. "You need to take it easy."

She nodded. "I know. That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"They're right."

She closed her eyes and nodded again, taking a deep breath. When she opened them again she was staring up, but began to speak to him as if he were still in front of her. "I can't feel my legs."

Danny's froze.

"I don't remember much. I don't know what happened, but I know I can't feel or move them."

"Allie-"

She turned to him, tears welling up in her dark eyes. "There's something wrong isn't there? Don't lie to me, Danny. Tell me. Rafe and Shawn always change the subject when I ask, and Dad can barely look at me. I know there's something wrong. Is there?"

"Yeah, there is." He answered, his voice deep and sullen.

She turned away, trying to hide the quiver in her chin. "Will I ever walk again?"

Danny shook his head, "I don't know, Al."

She nodded, still keeping a tight hold onto the last ounce of bravery within her, but she soon lost her grip and the tears began to drip from her eyes. Danny's own eyes were beginning to mist again and he reached for her, pulling her as close to him as he could, the feeling of guilt coming back to him, as strong as ever. He would give his life to take away her pain and worry, but for now all he could do was hold and soothe her and pray that her worst fears wouldn't come true.


	17. You Were There

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, I'm trying to get better :)**

* * *

_December 2, 1935_

"Danny, hey Danny, wait up!"

Danny turned around towards the voice that had called his name and saw Maggie running through the crowd of students spilling out of the school, clutching her schoolbooks tightly in front of her. She caught up to him, breathless.

"I've been looking for you all day." She replied and Danny shrugged his mood grim. "At first I thought you weren't here, but Charlie Vance told me he saw you at lunch."

"I wasn't going to come." He answered crustily.

She nodded, "Did you need the distraction?"

"It was either come here and face everyone's questions or stay home and see how many times my old man can put me down or worse in the span of eight hours."

She looked sympathetic, but that was the last thing Danny wanted. It was bad enough being here without Allie and Rafe, but with the knowledge that Allie was in the hospital because of something that Danny could prevented, he felt even more sour.

"Look, I was talking to Helen this morning and…well she's going to tell the McCawley's this anyway, but I thought I should tell you before."

"What?"

"Dean-"she then stopped and looked around. Seeing the crowd around her she took Danny by the arm and led him over an empty bench, but neither one of them sat. "That night, Dean had been drinking."

"WHAT?" Danny bellowed and Maggie quickly hushed him.

"You don't want the whole county to know do you?"

"I sure as hell do! Why didn't she say anything before?"

"She didn't know about the accident until she came to school this morning and she told me the first chance she got. She said she saw him stealing a few swigs out of flask during the party, but she didn't say anything then because she didn't think he was drunk. I hate to agree with her, but these days everyone is drinking and-"

"That's not an excuse!"

"I didn't say that it was." She said in a soft voice, "I know I don't drink, I know Allie doesn't."

Danny nodded. He wasn't much of a drinker either. Sure he and Rafe had gotten a hold of some beer and even some whiskey once, but they had never been stupid enough to do it in public or go driving.

"Well, everyone will know now, and that's what matters, I guess."

"Yeah…sure doesn't change Allie being in the hospital though, does it?"

She paused slightly and then shook her head. "No, it doesn't." She then paused again, pushing her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose. "Have they heard anything more about her walking again?"

Danny leaned against the bench as a strong cold wind blew in from the east and shook his head. "I guess the doctor is supposed to talk to them today about it."

Maggie looked away, "I can't even imagine how that must feel, with that threat looming over you. Then I think of her hand, her wrist looked pretty bad, I wonder if she'll ever play again. Allie's always been strong, but this is a test, even for her." She turned back to him, "I think you being there helped though. She's liked you for a long time."

Danny scoffed, "Except when she hated me." He replied, referring to that time not so long ago when they seemed to be at one anther's throats.

She shook her head, a small smile on her lips, "She could never hate you, even if she tried." She took a breath. "I can see you two together. It's not that hard to picture."

He snorted back his laughter. A week ago, that was all he had wanted, him and Allie together, but right now colonizing Mars seemed more possible to him than that.

The wind was howling outside of Allie's window, giving a completely new life to the humdrum scenery that had sat there unchanged, hour after hour, yet she still found herself confined to her bed in the gray room that she had come to see as a tomb over the last few days. Her lips were dry, chapped, and desperate for moisture, her head ached and pounded, and the thought of being paralyzed kept sticking itself back into her mind repeatedly like a rusty knife, but Danny was the only clear and constant thought she had.

Having him here the day before had revived her, had given her a reason to sit up in her bed, but the moment he walked out of her room, she immediately fell back into her distressing state, where only her most depressing thoughts dwelled, yet she was glad that he had been honest with her. He was the only one that had been, it seemed. Her parents avoided the subject and Rafe and Shawn were no hope. They were her older brothers, and went by the old code to protect their sister from anything and everything. Kay had not come, neither had Lorraine. Her mother had told her Lorraine was too young to be in a place like this, which made Allie miss her bothersome little sister even more.

Plenty of people had sent flowers, including Dean's family, but she had her mother take them out of the room. She wanted nothing to with him. Not once had she asked about him, wondered if he was all right, or even thought to see him. Rafe had told her he was in trouble, and that was volunteered on his part. She had taken the information with a small sense of satisfaction. Though she still couldn't remember what had happened that night, she blamed him entirely for what had happened.

Talking to Maggie the day before had helped her remember some things, but nothing involving the moment's right before the accident, which is all anyone seemed to want to know about. She had remembered Maggie's warning to her before she left her house and it she shuddered every time she thought of it.

How could she have been so stupid? Her conscience had told her not to go, her best friend had said the same thing, but she had gone and now here she was, lying in a hospital bed, unable to move or feel her legs.

As she allowed herself to become more and more enthralled with her anger at both herself and Dean, her father poked his head through the crack of her door.

"Good, you're awake." He said, coming in all the way, forcing her to silence her anger for the moment. He came over next to her and sat on the edge of the bed. "How ya feelin' kiddo?"

She shrugged her shoulders in response, "Fine, I guess." She said answered in a hoarse voice.

"You look better." He told her, but she didn't believe him. Silence surrounded the both of them and she watched as her father scratched his chin. "Allie, I know you're probably feeling like you've been left on the side of road here, and I've come to apologize for it. You're not a child anymore and its high time your mother and I stopped acting like it. We've been unfair to you and your feelings.

"Dr. Brady came to speak to us this afternoon and gave us an update on your condition."

She lifted her head upon hearing that and was greeted with her father's soft smile. "He told us that you're fine. Went on and on about how you were one lucky young lady, but none the less said that you were fine." He paused. "I have to admit that for awhile there we weren't sure. Yes, we knew you would live and that was all we cared about, but the talk of you losing the use of your legs came up more than I would have liked. Your brothers knew but we asked them not to tell you. We figured you had enough on your mind as it was."

"Dad, I-"

"There's more, Al."

Forgetting that he had interrupted her, she looked at him with question, "More?"

He nodded and Allie watched as the warm smile disappeared from his face. "You still don't remember what happened that night do you?"

Holding back her irritation, she quickly shook her head. He nodded in response.

"Your friend Helen came by today. Her father brought her directly from school. Seems that she saw Dean drinking at dinner that night and a few more times before you four left in his car."

Allie shook her head, not believing her ears, but then a voice quickly reminded her that this was Dean they were speaking of and then a sudden flash of pain swept struck through her head like a bolt of lightning. She squinted in pain and she heard Dean's words,

"_There was no other way I was going to make it through that dinner."_

The words were cold and the image of Dean smiling deviously at her soon followed.

"Allie!"

Allie's eyes opened to find her father staring at her with a panic expression.

"Are you alright?"

She paused, trying to control her throbbing head and then nodded. "Yes, I just…what else did she say?"

"That was all. She had already gone to the police station…Allie did you know anything about this? Has he ever done anything like this before?"

She started to shake her head, but quickly decided against it. This was her chance to come clean about her entire sordid relationship with Dean and she wasn't about to let it get away from her. Slowly and with a great struggle to sound calm, she told her father everything that had happened, even the part when Danny had come to her rescue. The only thing she left out was the kiss, it didn't seem relevant and it was also something she wanted to keep to herself for now.

When she finished, her father released a long slow breath, but his eyes remained locked on hers.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." She said in a soft voice, "I thought I could handle it."

He shook his head, "Allie you've only just turned sixteen, what on earth made you even think that you could handle this alone? Your mother and I love you and if you're in trouble, you tell us." He nearly snapped. Hearing the sound of his voice he turned away and took another breath.

Allie felt her eyes began to tear up. "I'm sorry, Daddy." She said, suddenly feeling like she was three years old again.

Her father turned back to her, hearing the stutter of tears in her voice, came over to her quickly, and wrapped his arms around her. She was openly crying now and he held her tighter.

When he pulled away, she wiped her eyes with her hands and apologized once more.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again. When you have a problem, you tell us. Is that understood?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, sir." With that said she laid her head back on her fathers shoulder and closed her eyes, feeling better and worse at the same time. Somehow, she knew that from this point on, her life would never be as it was.

Her parents would always worry more, she would always be weary of people who were anything like Dean, above all, the scars, both physical and emotional, that the accident had left her would always be there always reminding her of that horrible night.


	18. Good Night my Love

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

**OMG you guys I am so sorry! I bet you thought I'd forgotten all about Danny and Allie, but SURPRISE I didn't! I want to thank everyone for their reviews for the last chapter, and the new readers I got during my very very long hiatus. **

**With that said, on to 18...if its a bit rusty I apologize, I'm still trying to work back into the feel of things, you know how it goes.**

**xoxoxoxoxox**

* * *

It was another week before Allie was allowed to go home, but it was with her promise to take care of her wounds and to move around only when necessary in the wheel chair that the doctor had provided for her. It was a bittersweet time for the family, having Allie home in time for Christmas was a blessing, but having her there in the condition she was was painful for all of them to see. To accompany her pain, Allie's mood was grim. She was both ashamed and distraught over what had happened to her, but what affected her more than anything was the fact that Danny had become scarce since his first visit to her in the hospital. He always seemed to send an excuse with Rafe on why he couldn't come, but after hearing that his father needed his help on the farm more than a few times, Allie began to feel understandably abandoned.

She needed him.

When the doctors told her the chances of her walking again were split down the middle, she needed him. When she heard that Dean had been arrested, she needed him. The long nights she spent in her cold, dark hospital room, she needed him.

And he wasn't there.

When the day finally came for her to go home, the whole family, including Kay and the children, were there to greet her when she came through the front door, but she couldn't seem to remember how to smile. There they were, shining faces, filled with so much love and joy for her, the house decorated for Christmas and she still couldn't find her own happiness.

That night, after passing on her favorite meal, Allie was carried upstairs by Shawn and put in her bed, a bell placed on her nightstand in case she needed help during the night.

"You going to be alright, kiddo?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." She answered softly, though she didn't think she would.

Allie heard him sigh, but she didn't take her eyes off the tie of her bathrobe that she had twisted in her hand. It was too hard to look at anyone. She felt that she owed them a smile, a glimmer of happiness, something that she just couldn't offer.

"You know what to do if you need anything." He told her, "And I mean anything. If you're thirsty, hungry, bored-"

"I know." She interrupted, her voice small, "Good night." She punctuated the words hoping he would leave then. Thankfully he seemed to understand and gave her a pat on the shoulder, wishing her sweet dreams. She waited until the door had shut behind him before she awkwardly removed her bathrobe and lay down in her bed. The light from her beside lamp cast a cozy glow over the room and feeling like a small child who had suffered from a nightmare she kept it on for protection.

She laid there for nearly an hour, just staring into the light, her mind void of all thought for she feared that anything she would think of would bring more pain. It was just as her lids were beginning to feel heavy that she heard a slight tap, followed by two more. Propping herself up on her elbows she looked over and was shocked to see Danny on the other side of her window.

"Danny?" she whispered

Awkwardly, seeing that she was awake, Danny opened the window and came in, his feet hitting the floor softly. A gust of December air followed him in and he quickly turned around to shut the window as Allie brought her quilt up to her chest, covering herself against the cold.

"Are you crazy? You could have broken your neck." She chastised as he turned back around to face her.

"Sorry." Was his reply, but Allie could see that he was only somewhat sincere.

Seeing him after all this time was both wonderful and infuriating. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and lash out at him at the same time. She had no idea how to handle herself and fell silent at the confusion, while Danny stood there, uneasily waiting for her to say or do something.

Allie was thankful, when after several moments of silence, he spoke.

"I know you're mad at me."

Though he was correct, Allie chose not to tell him.

"And you have every right to be. I was an ass for not coming to see you before."

Glad to hear that he agreed, Allie could feel herself soften and she turned to him, her harsh gaze fading. She saw the anxiety over what he had done and she began to wonder why she had been angry with him at all.

"I'm sorry Allie." He reiterated, his hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at her. Though slightly covered, his brown eyes warmed her against the slight chill the opened window had left in her room and she found herself smiling at him, forgetting her anger towards him all together.

"It's okay."

She could see him immediately brighten at her words and he sank down to a sitting position on the bed, wrapping his arms around her... Allie let his arms envelop her and let her own wrap snuggly around his neck and she felt heaven.

"I was so scared of losing you." He said while he held her.

She pulled away, still allowing him to hold her close, and delicately brushed her hand across his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Despite the tears that Allie knew wanted to break free, he smiled. "I should be trying to make you feel better."

"You did that when you climbed through my window." She said with a slight smile.

He smiled again, but suddenly it faded, and he looked down, releasing his hold on her. "Don't you want to know why I stayed away?"

Allie's own smile evaporated and she replied honestly, "No."

"No?"

"It doesn't matter. You're here now, aren't you?"

"Yes, but-"

But she brought her hands up to stop him, her head shaking. "No, Danny. I can't. I don't want to hear another word. All I could think about for the last week is you and you weren't there." The thought brought tears to her eyes, but she kept on, tired of holding the feelings in. "Now you are and I don't care what it was that kept you away. I just want you to stop talking and hold me."

Though the tears she had tried to hold back were now running freely down her face, Danny couldn't help but smile at her bold declaration. He once again took her into his arms, pressing her wet face against his warm shoulder and kept her there.

They were both finally where they wanted to be, with one another, with no threat of them ever coming apart.

* * *

Allie's period of convalescence now lay before her, and though the doctors kept reminding her that it was going to take time and patience for her recovery to be a success, there seemed to be no end in sight to her period of immobility. Danny, her parents and the rest of the family did all they could to keep her comfortable and entertained, but by her third week home, shortly after Christmas, she was unable to hold back her misery any longer.

The injury her wrist had endured prevented her from picking up her violin, and the fear that she would never play again, scared her more than the previous threat of never walking. Music had always been her escape, where she never failed to find peace. It was to her, what flying was to Rafe and Danny and now it was out of her reach.

She cursed Dean each and every time she caught sight of the instrument, laying in its place on her desk, and after awhile had to ask her mother to remove it from her room. It had become too hard to even think of music.

"Allie," her father had told her, "It will take time and work, but you will play again."

The words did nothing to comfort her and she had turned back to the mountain of schoolwork that Rafe had brought home for her, allowing the McCawley stubbornness to take her over.

Her father had voiced his concern to his wife, who in turn had her own unease over her daughter's change of nature. Allie had always been strong, quiet yes, timid maybe, but always strong and seeing her in such a despondent state had shaken her. Through five children and two grandchildren, The McCawley's had a wealth of experience when it came to children, but Allie's situation was new to them. Scraped knees, and bumps and bruises had been easy to mend. A kiss here, a hug there was usually all it took to have their offspring smiling once more and forget all about the pain, but it was painfully obvious that that wasn't going to work this time. And after weeks of consulting the doctors and praying that she would pull out of it on her own, the two of them came to a decision.

"Leave? Ma, why?" Rafe demanded of his mother. "She's got a right to be out of sorts. Sending her away isn't going to do anything that can't be done here."

Vivian sighed heavily, her eyes closing as she took in her sons words. She hadn't come to the decision easily, but it was something that needed to be done. Her sister Millie, Allie's favorite Aunt who lived on the North Carolina coast, thought a change of scenery would be just the medicine for her niece and suggested that Allie come stay with her for as long as she needed. Both Jake and Vivian had been hesitant to accept, but when the doctor had agreed with Millie's proposition, they knew it was the right thing for their daughter.

Millie's large house on the beach would be the perfect place for Allie to find herself once again. She lived alone, her husband having passed ten years before, and Allie's company would be good for her as well. She promised to keep Allie up with her schoolwork and have her own doctor look after any medical needs that might arise.

Now the only problem that remained was convincing Rafe and Lorraine that this was the best thing for their sister.

"Darlings, your father and I have thought very carefully about this, and it really is for the best. Allie needs to get away for a little while so she can collect herself and it's up to us to give her our love and support."

"It's not fair!" Lorraine cried, "We can help her here! She doesn't need ol' Aunt Millie and her big house. She needs us and her friends."

Knowing she was upset, Vivian ignored her daughter's outburst, and shook her head, "My love, that just isn't going to be enough this time."

Lorraine sunk into Rafe, frowning in defeat at her mother.

Rafe said nothing, but from the look on his face, Vivian knew what he was thinking. He felt that they had given up, that they were pawning Allie off on some relative because they had no idea how to fix her problem. She felt terrible, but there was no convincing him otherwise.

"Rafe, please-" she began, but he stood up from his place on the couch and gave her a defined glare before crossing the room and going out the front door. The slamming of the screen was a slap in the face to Vivian and she turned back to Lorraine for some support, but Lorraine, taking a cue from her brother, stood as well and stomped across the living room and up the stairs to her room.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Vivian sank back into her chair, her heart tearing at the thought of what she had just done to her children. Never before had they been separated, and for all there bickering and rivalry, they loved and depended on one another. Vivian felt the blame and contempt they had for her sink and settle right into her soul, knowing that their forgiveness wasn't going to come easily.

Tears began to well in her eyes as the events of the last few weeks came back to her, reminding her why her once high spirited and carefree daughter was in so much pain.

She would never let another soul know those murderous thoughts she had upon seeing her Alice in that hospital, bruised and broken, seemingly so close to death, because of that boy. A boy she had welcomed into her home and mistakenly trusted.

What kind of mother was she?

On the cold November morning that Allie had been born sixteen years before, she made her sweet face baby girl a promise that she would never let any harm come to her and look what she had done, invited that Harm right into her home.

She would never forgive herself and no amount of praying was going to bring her peace. The only thing she could do was fix the mess she had help create.

Standing, she smoothed out her worn skirt, and brushed away the tears clinging to her eyelashes, and started up the stairs to get Allie packed.


	19. Take My Heart

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

**Another update! YAY!! **

**I hope you guys enjoy and as always, keep those reviews coming :)**

* * *

The full moon was shining bright in the dark sky, giving Danny all the light he needed to cross the long stretch of field he knew so well between his house and the McCawley's. He held his coat tightly around him the whole time, his rapid movement producing a quick breath that hit the cold air in a light fog.

It was nearly midnight and the last ten hours had been torture. Rafe showing up on his doorstep, not wasting a moment to inform Danny of what his parents were doing, had left him with a dull, but very noticeable feeling of queasiness. He had let Rafe continue as if the news barely affected him, but inside each word of Allie's departure gave another blow to his already aching heart.

He wouldn't deny that there was something wrong with her. Not a day had gone by where he hadn't come to see her. And each day he had noticed her slip farther and farther into what was now being called a depression. The term was a hard pill to swallow, which, Danny mused, was probably why he had neglected to really see it before. He simply thought, or rather hoped, that every tear she seemed to shed, every time she fell into a silence that no other sound could seem to fill, every time she clung to him like a small child, that it was all part of her recovery.

Hadn't what Dean had done to her been enough? Now she was suffering, suffering to the point that her parents could no longer give her what she needed and had to send her away. Unlike Rafe, Danny didn't blame Jake and Vivian. He knew they loved Allie, they wouldn't have come to this conclusion if they hadn't, but that still didn't make the impending separation any easier to deal with.

The house came into view and with a sigh of relief, Danny noticed that the window of Allie's room was still lit, but then he reminded himself that not a night went by now when she didn't sleep with it on. Suddenly conscience of the reflection, the idea crossed Danny's mind that she might be worse off than he previously thought and it drove him to move even faster towards the house, to the now familiar latticing that was his stairway to her window.

He climbed it expertly, coming to the slopping roof and pulling himself up to his feet, crossing on careful footing to her window. He lifted it without even looking in, not caring if she was asleep, he needed to see her.

He needn't have worried. Allie, still very much awake, was set back against two pillows a book opened in her lap, but Danny could tell she was hardly involved in it.

"Hey." He whispered, his feet hitting the floor.

She looked up, not surprised to see him, revealing her red, tear stained eyes to him. "Hi."

Her voice was small and cheerless and Danny was quick to close the window behind him, shed his cold coat and go to her. He let her sink into his arms, the soft waves of her hair brushing against his cheek.

"You came." She said into his shoulder, showing no sign of relinquishing the comfortable spot she had made for herself in his embrace.

His arms wrapped around her, he nodded. "Trying to leave without telling me." He said, in a half attempt to bring humor to the situation. "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

To his surprise, she responded with a light laugh, and he had to pull away just so he could prove to himself that he had actually succeeded. It was however a mixed blessing, because although smiling, she was still crying.

"Al."

She shook her head, "I know, I'm a mess. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't stop."

He shook his head, pushing back a strand of hair that was clinging to her wet face. He wanted to say something, but nothing that came to mind seemed to be the right thing. He wanted to beg and plead with her not to leave him, but he wasn't going to let himself do that to her. The weight of her problems was already too much of a burden and he wasn't going to throw another hundred pounds on just because of what he was feeling.

"Don't worry, its going to get better."

It was all he could come up with, but neither one of them found it comforting.

"Aunt Millie thinks she can help." She shook her head, wiping her eyes, "She doesn't understand. No matter what, I'm always going to remember it. I'm always going to hate him for what he did to me."

"I know."

"This is never going to away. I can feel it. I try and try not to think about it, but he stole it all from me. I can't even look at my violin without my wrist hurting. I can't walk, I can't dance," the tears were coming again, faster this time, but she continued, "I can't do anything, but sit here and think about him." She broke down then and Danny didn't waste a moment to take her back into his arms.

He tried to soothe her.

"They took his license away, he won't be driving anymore." As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized how futile they sounded. What he didn't realize was the sudden anger it would provoked in her.

She pushed herself away from him, her jaw clench in anger. "What does that matter?" she snapped. "He can still walk. He can still do everything he loves! I can't even walk, Danny! He stole my freedom. I hate him and I will never forgive him, never!"

Her words took him off guard and he found himself completely void of thought and speech. He didn't know what to say to that, but it was clear now why she was so dejected. Anger and sadness were a lethal combination and he had to wonder how she managed to live with the mixture for so long without him taking notice.

"Allie, I didn't mean-"

"Of course you didn't. Because you don't understand, no one does."

She was speaking, Danny was sitting right in front of her on the bed and saw the words leave her mouth, but it wasn't Allie. Not the Allie he knew. She would have never spoken so harshly to him, with so much contempt for life and those around her. The Allie he knew was strong and happy, she didn't hate anyone, she didn't even like to say the word.

"Maybe it's for the best." He finally said.

She turned to him, somewhat betrayed. "What?"

"Well, it'll get you away from him, far away. Far away from everything."

His words seem to take away her anger and for a moment he thought he had managed to get control of the situation, but that hoped was dashed as he watched her gaze fall to her lap and round of fresh tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"Allie-," he reached for her and she fell back into his arms. Her sobs were hard and strangled and Danny cringed as each one ripped through her, but he knew he had to be strong and somehow managed to hold himself up against the strain of his own misery for her.

As her breathing began to return to normal and the tears slowly came to a stop, Allie pulled herself away from Danny's wet shoulder and met his eyes with her own

"You will be here when I get back, won't you?"

He smiled at her naïve question. "Yeah, where else would I be?"

"And you'll write me?"

"Everyday."

She nodded and then paused, contemplating her next move. Slowly she brought her hand up to his face and touched his cheek, brushing it softly with her fingers. "Thank you." She whispered.

He smiled back, accepting her gratitude. "I guess I'd better go, it's late."

She nodded silently and he gave her hand a squeeze as he stood.

He had barely made it two feet away from the bed, when she suddenly reached for him, gripping his hand tightly in her own. "No, don't leave!" her voice was whispered, but Danny could hear the urgency and he sat back down immediately

"What? What is it?"

Her arms went around him, pulling herself into his arms. "Just stay a bit longer." She asked and he complied without hesitation. Thankfully, she kissed his cheek, disregarding the wetness of her face as she pressed her lips to his face.

He shifted slightly, intending to return the gesture, when he suddenly found her lips on his.

It wasn't a passionate kiss by any means, no zeal or fervor, it was only the simple reminder she needed that he was there and always would be. The weeks since their last kiss seemed like years and Danny couldn't help but enjoy it, despite the situation and when the moment was over, he pressed his face into her soft, sweet scented hair and gave her the comfort she both wanted and needed. He couldn't tell when they would be able to have another moment like this, so he promised to stay there as long as she wanted and she snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes.

She drifted off to sleep soon after and he carefully laid her back on the pillows and stood. He whispered a good-bye to her, knowing that in some way she would be able to hear, before he found his coat and made his exit through the window. He took one last look at her before he closed it, hoping that maybe tonight would be the night the nightmares stopped for her.


	20. Moonlight and Shadows

Chapter Twenty

The crisp new sheets were meant to be a good gesture from Aunt Millie.

They were most likely a recent purchase from some upscale department store, but all Allie could feel was the unfamiliar roughness against her skin, causing her to itch from both the fabric and the longing for her own bed back in Tennessee.

This was her second night in Beaufort, her first alone. Her mother had accompanied her on the long train ride from Shelby and stayed only a day before leaving that afternoon. Allie missed her, yes, but not nearly as much as she missed Danny. She still saw his face the way it had looked from the train window just as the horn had sounded. She hadn't been able to say good-bye to him the way she had wanted, instead there had only been a slight nod and a "See you soon" muttered before her father had carried her on to the train.

He had stood beside Rafe, hands stuffed in his coat pocket as she stared out the window. As the train began to pull away from the station he gave her a slight nod and Allie felt his sadness along with her own and the tears came to her eyes. Her mother interpreted it as something else and held her close, telling her it would all be better soon, but she just didn't know. She didn't understand.

She turned over in the bed, clutching the quilt in a balled fist, her face now turned towards the window. She wished, though she knew it was impossible, for Danny to come knocking on the other side of the glass and push all of her sadness away. She chastised herself for having such a foolish wish. Being naïve and wanting things she couldn't have wasn't going to help her.

She was alone, no matter how kind Aunt Millie was to her. No amount of attention or gifts was going to change that. She wanted what she couldn't have; her violin, dancing the hours away Odell's, music lessons... Such simple thing they were, so simple that she never thought she would ever be without them and now here she was, crippled and alone with no hope of escaping either one. She turned over again and let the thought stay with her, lacking the energy to fight it away, and it stuck with her as she drifted off to sleep and into her dreams.

It rained that day. Fat and wild drops of water fell from the sky fast for most of the afternoon and Allie was satisfied. It was good to have the feeling that her mood and weather seemed to be one in the same. However, Aunt Millie was not as pleased.

"Darn it all!" She exclaimed as she pushed aside the eyelet curtains in her sitting room, "I had hoped to take you in to town today to visit with Dr. Reynolds." She turned back to Allie, who was parked in her wheel chair near the fireplace, "He's our resident doctor. An older man, but very knowledgeable. I promised your parents I would make sure he'd see you. However," she turned back to the window, "It seems Miss Mother Nature had other plans."

"That's all right, Aunt Millie." She replied, her tone flat. She didn't care to leave the house at all. Her plan, as she had decided at breakfast, was to let this trip pass as quickly as possible so she could go home to Tennessee, to Shelby, where she belonged. She didn't care about getting well or anything of that sort; she selfishly wanted nothing more than to be back in her home room in her own bed, sleeping away the misery. Something she knew Aunt Millie would not allow.

Aunt Millie moved to her chair next to Allie, "No, its not, but we'll have to make do, I suppose. It's not good for you to be stuck in the house. You need the fresh air and sunshine on your face, and to be around children your own age. There are a few I know of, in fact-"

The ring of a phone came from the hallway. Aunt Millie excused herself and left the room, going to it.

"Hello?" Allie could hear her greet. "Oh, yes, hello…what's that?...How kind of you to think of us….Yes, of course, with this weather, we're sure to be in the rest of the day…Wonderful. Would you like to stay for dinner then?..."

At this Allie groaned. Company. Now perfect strangers would see her in this condition and she would have to deal with even more pity.

"…I'll have Edith set two extra places then. Yes, around six…see you then…good-bye."

The phone clicked as it was set back down on the receiver and a second later Aunt Millie reappeared. "It seems we'll be having company for dinner. Dr. Reynolds and his son are coming over. You'll get to meet him after all."

Allie didn't answer, but Aunt Millie was quick to notice the look of discontent on her niece's face. "Now Alice McCawley I will have none of that. You're a guest in my home and I know my sister didn't raise you to be unruly, did she?"

Allie's head fell and shook, "No ma'am, she didn't."

"Then turn that frown upside down, I'm going to go tell Edith. Why don't you go to your room and pick out a nice sweater and skirt to wear."

Allie looked up horrified. A skirt? "Aunt Millie, my legs, they're…" she motioned to them, referring to the scars and bandages that were still there.

"They're what? They look like they're both there to me. Nothing is missing, so I don't see any reason why you shouldn't wear a skirt, now be a good girl and shoo, I've got to help Edith." And then she was gone.

Defeated, Allie awkwardly moved the chair away from it's place by the hearth and moved slowly down the hall towards her room.

Since Aunt Millie and her housekeeper, Edith, refused to help her, Allie was forced to dress by herself. Even when her mother had been there, Aunt Millie insisted that Allie learn to fend for herself even if it took her close to an hour to do so. It was both painful and awkward, but Aunt Millie didn't yield. She insisted it was for the best.

Forty five minutes later, now dressed in a brown and green skirt with matching sweater, she moved herself out of her room and back down the hallway towards the sitting room looking for Aunt Millie. However, it was not Aunt Millie that she found.

A tall young man, no older than Shawn was sitting in a relaxed position on the sofa, thumbing through an issue of Life magazine that Aunt Millie had left on the end table. He looked up when Allie entered and gave her a smile.

"Hey," he sat up, putting the magazine aside, "You're Alice, right?"

"Allie." She corrected, though she didn't know why.

"Allie, huh? Cute. I'm Will, Will Reynolds." He reached over to shake her hand, but she didn't make a move.

"I know who you are." She answered even if she had only guessed. He was Dr. Reynolds son.

Will held his hand in the air for a moment and then brought back to his lap. "Your aunt tells me you're from Tennessee."

"That's right, I am." She said keeping her answer short.

"I've never been there myself," he told her.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "Do you like it here so far?"

"No," she answered honestly, "Not really."

"Sorry to hear that," he nodded. "Maybe after you're recovered, you'll feel differently."

"I doubt it."

Will looked at her for a moment and leaned back on the sofa. "You're not very talkative, are you?"

"I'm sorry if my aunt led you to believe differently."

"No, on the contrary, she never said anything like it. I just assumed anyone related to her would have manners," he raised his brow as he spoke.

Allie felt slightly hurt by the comment. Normally she was very nice and always courteous...what on earth was happening to her? "I'm sorry." she then apologized before it could get any worse. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

He leaned forward and linked his hands together casually between his knees. "I accept your apology. Why don't we start over? I'm Will," he held out his hand to hers and smiled.

This time she took it, "Allie. Nice to meet you."

"See now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" he winked at her.

She couldn't help but smile a little. He wasn't so bad after all.

"You know, we do have a lot of beautiful scenery around here. Maybe you would let me show you around. I know it's not Tennessee, but I happen to like it."

She started to say yes, but then she remembered Danny. What Will was suggesting sounded an awful lot like a date and she just couldn't do that to Danny. It may not have been official but she thought of them as a couple.

"I um...I don't know."

Will's brown eyes sparkled in humor. "Consider it a tour with me as your tour guide. There's no harm in that, is there?"

"There might be. There's this guy back home..."

"Ah, a guy... a significant other," he nodded knowingly. "Well, for your information, Allie, I'm not looking for a girlfriend. I just thought you'd like to get out of the house for a little while before the cold really sets in. Nothing more than that, I promise."

Still Allie shook her head, the reminder of her condition coming back to her. "I don't think so, its kind of hard for me to get around lately."

Will frowned, but a smile still twinkled in his eyes. "Okay, you win. But, you owe me a rain check on that when you start getting around better."

Nodding, Allie gave him a smile of agreement, though she doubted that would ever happen.

"How old are you?" he asked suddenly.

"I just turned sixteen."

"Sweet sixteen," he grinned.

"Yeah...what about you?"

"I'm nineteen," he answered. "I graduated last year."

"Wow. Are you in college?"

"Yes, but I'm on a break right now. I work with my father when I'm not at school."

"What are you studying?"

"Medicine, like my father. I want to be a doctor."

"So I guess you're going to be helping him with me?"

"In a round of about way, yes," he nodded.

"Oh." They were on that subject again. Allie knew it was her doing, but she wished they could move on to something else.

As if he read her mind, Will averted the conversation once again. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"

"Yeah two of each. Kay, Shawn, Rafe and Lori."

"Do you?"

"No, unfortunately I am an only child.'

"My mother passed away shortly after my birth and dad never remarried."

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, I don't remember her. It's always only been Dad and me. Well, us and Hester, our maid. She's been like a second mother to me for most of my life. She says she has the gray hairs to prove it," he laughed quietly.

"I can't imagine that. My house has always been so crowded. It's too quiet for me here."

"You miss them," he said as more of a statement than a question.

"A lot." she nodded, her eyes falling.

"You'll see them soon," he said and smiled at her once again. Millie called for them at that time and told them dinner was on the table. He stood and came around to the back of her chair.

"May I?" he asked. Allie only nodded and he pushed her forward to the dining room where Millie and Dr. Reynolds were waiting for them.


	21. Keep a Twinkle in Your Eye

Chapter Twenty-One

_Dear Allie,_

The only words on the sheet of paper in front of Danny had been alone for sometime now, but as the pencil he held between his index and middle fingers tapped back and forth across the hard surface of the table, he was finding it harder and harder to put into words what he really wanted to say.

She had been gone a month now, long enough for him to have sent at least ten letters and he hadn't sent one. He knew from Rafe that she was well, miserable still, but according to Rafe, her words become more cheerful with each letter. The time away was obviously doing her a world of good just as everyone had said, but he couldn't suppress that deep, dark aching thought that maybe it was the time away from him that was making the difference.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a voice that sounded vaguely like Rafe's told him to shut up and to quit being a donkey's behind, and though it helped, it didn't make any words appear on the paper before him.

He wanted to tell her he missed her, how miserable he was without her here. He missed talking with her, holding her, scraping his knees as he climbed through her bedroom window. God, he would give anything to have her here right now, but how did he say that. Writing was something he had always done well, words always came so easy to him and transferred to the paper just as fluidly, but now he was hardly able to rhyme 'cat' and 'mat'.

He was falling for her, hard too. Yes, he had known for a good while how much he cared for her, but love was something that just hadn't crossed his mind. Now, with her gone and so much time to think about her, he realized just how much he felt for her. He didn't dare tell Rafe, he still hadn't even told him about knowing about Dean, some friend he was. If it were Rafe, he would have talked without a moment's hesitation, but not him, no he was a coward, a bad one at that. He was keeping two things from his best friend, his brother, two very important things, but was far too afraid of the reaction to say anything about either one.

He sighed, and pressed the pencil to the paper again.

_I miss you._

"At this rate I'll be finished by Christmas." He muttered under his breath.

Heavy footsteps coming from the front hall broke his concentration and he turned to meet his father as he came into the kitchen, dirty and worn looking.

"Finish your chores, boy?"

"Yes sir." He responded, turning the sheet of paper over. There was no way he wanted his dad to see what he was doing.

"Did you get that truck runnin?" he was at the sink, pumping water into a glass as he spoke.

"Yes sir."

He nodded and turned from the sink, taking a large gulp from the glass. "What are you doing there? Homework, you said you were done with that."

"No, just…just a letter."

"To who?"

Danny sighed, not knowing which answer was going to be the right one…the truth or the lie. Being Danny he took the more noble way.

"Allie. She's visiting her aunt and Rafe is making me write."

Well it was nearly the whole truth.

A look of apathy fell over Cole Walker's face, a strange expression that Danny rarely saw and he set his glass aside.

"She back on her feet yet?"

Danny shook his head.

"Horrible thing, that accident was. She's a smart girl, pretty too."

Agreeing whole heartedly, Danny nodded at his father's remark.

"That's that then." He then said and rose from the table, taking the empty glass to the cluttered sink. "I'm turning in early tonight. Don't forget to clean before you head up yourself."

"Yes, sir."

His father nodded and slowly started out of the kitchen, when he came to a sudden stop and without turning Danny could feel his eyes on him. A strong hand came down on his shoulder and gave it a firm, comforting pat. Surprised with the offer of affection, Danny turned back to look at his father, only to find him pulling his hand back and contining out of the room.

Danny turned back to the letter not sure of what to make of what just happened. He was sure it was nothing, but it felt, at least for a moment, that his father knew exactly what was going on and let the truth remain under wraps.

"All right, Alice, tell me if you feel anything."

From her place on the examination table Allie nodded at Dr. Reynolds, not expecting the sharp poke of the needle he delivered to her foot to be felt.

"Ouch!" she nearly screamed and immediately her entire leg flinched in pain.

She pushed herself up on her elbows to see both Dr. Reynolds and Aunt Millie beaming in approval.

"I would say her reflexes are damn near perfect." Dr. Reynolds said with a slight chuckle. "You were right, Millie. Are you sure you don't have medical degree hidden in that handbag of yours?"

Millie laughed and shook her head, "The moment I saw that she had begun to shift in bed at night, I knew it was something." She turned to Allie. "Darling, isn't this wonderful? It shouldn't be long now, not long at all."

"Now, now Millie, don't put the wagon before the horse. Alice has a lot of work ahead of her. Those legs need to get their strength back…one step at a time."

Allie considered his words and nodded. It was true there was a long road ahead of her, but not as long as it had once been. She felt she had made real progress in the past weeks. She didn't feel nearly as depressed as she had when she arrived. She had begun to care for herself without throwing a tantrum worthy of a child Dixie's age, and though Aunt Millie had done plenty, it was Will that she was secretly thankful for.

He reminded her so much of Shawn it actually scared her at times. He was easy to talk to, and never raised his voice to her, even when she was being unreasonable, which she was ashamed to say was quite often in the beginning. He was a good listener and she was able to talk quite freely to him. He knew all about Danny, her life before the accident, her family and yes, even Dean. He was there to talk sense into her the following week when the lack of letters from Danny had begun to get to her. He reminded her to think of the person Danny was and how hard it would probably be for him to sit down and put all of those feelings into a letter,

"It would be hard for even the strongest person." He had said and she agreed.

She knew that Danny cared and knew that he missed her, there was no point in worry about it otherwise, instead she made him her focus to get better. There was now a light at the end of the tunnel and it was Danny. The sooner she got better the sooner she would be able to see him again.

Dr. Reynolds helped Allie up to a sitting position on the table and gave her a moment to straighten herself before he called for Will to come into the room. It was now time for her rehabilitation exercises of which Dr. Reynolds entrusted his son to supervise. Dr. Reynolds bid Allie and Aunt Millie goodbye and went off to see another patient while Aunt Millie pulled a magazine from her bag and settled in a nearby chair, letting Allie have her space.

"How's it going?" Will asked as he helped her stretch her left leg.

She winced in discomfort for only a moment, but took a breath and put her focus on the conversation. "Fine." She answered.

"Dad said you're starting to move on your own."

"In my sleep, that's good right?"

He smiled. "Of course" he answered and moved to the other leg. He bent it back and forth slowly, allowing Allie to adjust to each movement. They continued working for the next hour, chatting about this and that, keeping Allie's mind off of the discomfort her body was experiencing, however gratifying it felt.

When they were done, Aunt Millie shut her magazine and came over to the two of them.

"William Reynolds I do declare, you have a way with your patients. After all that work Alice doesn't look a bit worn."

"I think we should give Allie the credit for that. She's come a long way." He said and gave Allie an encouraging grin. She smiled back because she felt the exact same way. She could hardly contain her excitement over her progress.

"That she has." Aunt Millie nodded with approval. "We'll write your family tonight and tell them, won't we?"

"Yes, I want to tell my folks about this and Danny, of course," she couldn't help but grin when she thought of seeing Danny's face when she told him how she was coming along.

"Let's get you home then," Aunt Millie said but Will cleared his throat.

"Well, I was hoping Allie would let me take her out for a sundae to celebrate."

"I suppose that's up to Allie," she turned to her.

Will helped her into her chair and Aunt Millie opened the door for them. "Now don't have her out too late, Will. She still needs her rest."

"Don't worry, Millie I'll have her home safe and sound."

Allie waved to her aunt as she disappeared down the hallway of the small hospital.


End file.
